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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23540332">To Seduce A Wolf</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrplPnk/pseuds/PrplPnk'>PrplPnk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Within the Fox's Shadow [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Comfort, Denial of Feelings, M/M, Possible Trigger Warning: Panic Attack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:26:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,168</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23540332</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrplPnk/pseuds/PrplPnk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno's unlucky night on the prowl takes a surprising turn when he bumps into Cloud, but he gets more than he bargains for as Strife pulls at shadows Reno would prefer remain hidden.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reno/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Within the Fox's Shadow [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1712068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>260</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Seduce A Wolf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Possible Trigger Warning!! Everyone's different, and maybe for some people just reading about a Panic Attack can trigger one. Look for [**], which will note where the attack starts and again when it's over. Be safe!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reno heaved a disappointed sigh as he walked the side streets of Junon, having had a strange urge to steer clear from the crowded sidewalks of the main street. It was his first weekend off in <em>weeks </em>and so far his search for a good lay was a complete bust. Three hours of club-hopping and not a single hot guy interested! Of <strong><b>course </b></strong>they had to choose his time off to suddenly vanish from Junon; the redhead could think of several cute dudes giving him those “wanna have sex?” eyes dozens of times over the months while he was on duty, thus having to decline. <em>Very </em>reluctantly.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing at his watch, Reno noted that the night was still young but there were only so many reputable clubs to visit. He wondered if he should just call it a night, even if he had dressed specifically to pick someone up. <em>Could always wash it and try again tomorrow,</em> the redhead thought as he frowned. <em>Guess it’s just not my night.</em></p><p> </p><p>Figuring on taking in one more club before calling it quits, Reno continued down the sidewalk, silently noting the proper street he would need to walk along to reach his destination. The route in his head barely formed when the door to an apartment building suddenly flew open to his right and he quickly sidestepped out of the way as someone nearly barreled into him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Watch it, yo!” the redhead exclaimed, more frustrated with his wasted night than nearly being hit with the heavy-looking door. He turned to glare at the inconsiderate ass and found his irritation fading quickly as he recognized the other’s spiky golden hair, handsome face and pretty, faintly glowing blue eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud Strife stood only a couple feet away, lips parted as if to say something, only to press together into an uneasy frown as recognition touched his expression. It seemed to soften, however, as his eyes ran up and down the Turk’s body before resting on his face again.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smirked knowingly at the blond, not at all offended; he had dressed to get people’s attention after all. He wore his favorite black leather boots that laced up to his knees, leather pants hugged his legs, hips and ass perfectly without discomfort, and a deep purple suede blazer over a dark green silk shirt covered his torso, half unbuttoned of course. The redhead had tried to not only go for something sexy, but also something that invited touch. The soft materials were tailored to fit his slender form, not wholly unlike his Turk uniform, but that look tended to put people on edge rather than invite them closer. Except those looking for danger, he supposed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey there, Cloud,” the redhead greeted, inwardly admiring the fighter’s eyes; <em>always so damn beautiful.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Reno,” was Cloud’s stiff reply, his eyes quickly dipping to the Turk’s partly exposed chest before meeting his gaze again.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s smirk widened. <em>Maybe my luck is about to turn around.</em> “Making a late-night delivery?” he asked, checking his watch again and raising a curious auburn eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>The blond flinched, his cheeks taking on a very pink hue as he glanced at the building behind him. “Something like that.”</p><p> </p><p>It was on the tip of Reno’s tongue to ask what the fuck happened to make him blush cutely like that, but he was able to restrain himself from probably further embarrassing the handsome fighter. Barely. <em>Don’t want to chase him off,</em> he reminded himself. <em>Stay chill.</em></p><p> </p><p>Filing the question away for later, he instead asked, “That your final job of the night?”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s sigh sounded slightly annoyed and he crossed his arms. “What good would it do for me to make deliveries all night? Most people sleep during these hours.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay that’s fair, yo,” the redhead relented, putting his hands up. It had been probably a year, if not more, since he had last seen Cloud and easily forgot how on edge he was around anybody connected to ShinRa. With good reason. <em>Guess I’ve got my work cut out for me.</em></p><p> </p><p>Those pretty blue eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously on the Turk. “Why the interest?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I’ve always been interested, baby.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A cold spike of fear shot through Reno as he wasn’t sure if he’d actually said that aloud, but upon Cloud’s expression not changing he relaxed again. <em>Stay chill!</em></p><p> </p><p>He shrugged with his left shoulder as he lowered his hands. “Relax, man, I’m just having a night out and wondered if you’d wanna join me for a little while. Ya know, unwind, have a little fun; ya might enjoy it.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud remained skeptical, even as his pretty blue gaze once again roamed over the Turk’s body. A small, barely there smirk tugged the right corner of his soft-looking lips for an instant, his slightly glowing eyes sparkled with what Reno felt was hunger as they tried to remain on the redhead’s face and not flick down to his open shirt. He saw the blond’s hands flex slightly before Cloud tucked them under his folded biceps. He was fighting against something, Reno could tell that much, but exactly what Cloud was telling himself <em>not </em>to do… well, there were a few options he guessed might be on the blond’s mind. The Turk figured knocking him into next week was a possible ‘to-do’ option under consideration, but the way those eyes kept staring at him Reno figured possibly <em>fucking</em> him into next week wasn’t off the table, either. <em>Please lose that battle, Blondie;</em> he fought back an excited shiver at the thought.</p><p> </p><p>“Some other time,” Cloud quietly replied.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smiled. The words sounded piss-weak, especially with that “I’d like to fuck you” face he was sporting. <em>Those pretty eyes of yours are too expressive for you to be lying, baby.</em></p><p> </p><p>However, the redhead reminded himself not to push too hard; Cloud could quickly and easily get into nervous wild animal mode with little provocation. If any kind of sexual encounter with the blond was possible, Reno definitely would like to leave it alive and with all his limbs intact.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of calling his bluff, Reno merely shrugged again. “Your call, Blondie.” Although Cloud’s stance seemed to relax a little, his lips frowned and he turned suddenly sullen eyes away. The redhead bit his tongue to stop the laugh that wanted to bubble up. <em>Was that… is he </em><strong><em><b>disappointed </b></em></strong><em>I didn’t call him on his bullshit? He’s fucking sad I didn’t push?! This guy… too fucking cute.</em></p><p> </p><p>If he knew he could get away with it, Reno would have removed his phone from his blazer in that moment and snap a pic of Cloud’s face. Would be good material when needing a cute-pick-me-up.</p><p> </p><p>But knowing the interest was there, and apparently genuine, the redhead quickly formulated a way out for the sulking fighter. He released a couple small coughs to mask his laughter and quickly spoke, hoping Cloud wouldn’t notice. “Could I borrow your phone, Cloud?”</p><p> </p><p>Those pretty blue eyes were again suspicious when they darted to the Turk at the question. “Why?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno couldn’t help the smirk that pulled his lips. “Just need to send a quick text, yo. Forgot mine at home.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you trying to get me into, Reno?” Cloud asked, his eyes narrowing further.</p><p> </p><p><em>If things go well, into my pants might be nice.</em> “Nothing nefarious, Cloud,” the redhead answered, “and if it does somehow cause ya trouble, I will willingly bend over so you can kick my ass, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>The suspicion flashed away to be replaced by desire in the blond’s gaze and Reno could only imagine what he was visualizing. <em>Something good, obviously.</em></p><p> </p><p>Cloud was still and silent for a moment before he sighed and uncrossed his arms to reach for his phone. With a shake of his head, he murmured, “I know I’ll regret this,” as he unlocked the device and handed it to the Turk.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smiled as he took the phone, giving the blond his best “you’ll thank me later” look, then proceeded with his plan. As promised, he opened up text messaging and typed his personal cell number for the recipient. The message was only of an eggplant, but that didn’t matter, the next step did. Upon hitting Send, Cloud’s phone noted the unfamiliar number and asked to add it to the Contacts list. His smile widened when he was prompted to type in the name of the new number. He knew the perfect way to push, without being pushy.</p><p> </p><p>“Reno?” Cloud called out nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“Almost done, yo,” he replied absentmindedly, fingers flying over the phone. He didn’t give himself too much time, knowing that the fighter was getting skittish and could easily snatch his phone back at any moment.</p><p> </p><p>He finished just as Cloud took a worried step toward him. Reno barely was able to say he was done when a series of loud beeps came from an inner pocket of his blazer.</p><p> </p><p>The blond looked confused as the Turk reached into the jacket and produced his own cell phone. He continued to the smile at the text he sent himself and quickly put the unknown number into his contacts.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck, Reno?” Cloud grabbed his phone from the redhead’s grasp, clearly irritated.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s gaze was gentle but serious as he glanced at the fighter. “I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize, yo.” He shrugged and finished typing Blondie into his contacts list before placing his phone back into his blazer.</p><p> </p><p>“And what does that have to do with me?”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead’s smile was sensual as it stretched his shapely lips and his sea-green eyes sparkled, giving Cloud’s body a slow once-over. The jeans he wore were just baggy enough to tease their muscular shape, but also showed off a little of Cloud’s personal package and Reno found his gaze lingering there for a moment, itching to pull the fly down and inspect his goods. A well worn, deep brown leather jacket hid the fighter’s toned chest, but Reno noted the collar of a dark blue sweater poking out from beneath the jacket around Cloud’s neck and he wondered if it was of the sleeveless variety. <em>Maybe I’ll get to find out,</em> Reno thought as his gaze settled on those softly glowing blue eyes. They seemed to be searching the redhead’s face, looking for a sign of something. <em>Probably expecting me to be bullshitting.</em></p><p> </p><p>“In case you change your mind,” Reno finally explained, pointing to the phone still within the blond’s hand. “If you’re looking for a <em>good time</em>, gimme a call, yo.” He chuckled a little when Cloud quickly gazed at his phone, apparently at the contacts list, if the small blush that spread on his cheeks was any indication. Reno had listed his number as “A Good Time,” with an eggplant and winking face for good measure.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s blue gaze sparkled with the light from the phone as he again looked at the redhead, who decided that was enough for now.</p><p> </p><p>Well… maybe just one more, tiny nudge.</p><p> </p><p>Reno took a step toward the fighter, never breaking eye contact. “See ya later, Cloud,” he said softly and reached out to gently tap the blond’s right hip. Cloud’s breathing hitched at the touch, but he didn’t move, his eyes looking more intense as they continued to gaze at the Turk. Reno moved backwards for a few paces, his eyes promising great things before giving Cloud a wink and turning to continue his path down the sidewalk.</p><p> </p><p><em>That should do it.</em> The redhead couldn’t help feeling a <em>little</em> smug; wasn’t every day he had the chance to seduce Cloud Strife, one of the hottest men in the world. They may have been on the opposite side of things when it came to the shit show with old ShinRa Electric and SOLDIER, but that did not stop Reno from finding Cloud super fucking attractive. Even if him and his AVALANCHE buddies were a constant thorn in their side back then.</p><p> </p><p>All that bad blood reminded Reno that the fighter could easily delete his number and continue on like he hadn’t just tried to fuck the redhead with his eyes.</p><p> </p><p><em>Nah, Blondie won’t do that,</em> he decided, feeling Cloud’s gaze on his back. <em>At least, not </em><strong><em><b>tonight</b></em></strong><em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>Reno sensed it the moment he stepped in front of the alleyway beside the apartment building; a car was racing down the narrow passage. It was coming up fast, but he didn’t worry, he could easily dodge away… and perhaps be a bit flashy about it. <em>Keep those pretty eyes on me, Cloud.</em> He acted as if he was to take another step, waiting for the last possible second, ignoring the brightness of the headlights in his right eye as they came dangerously close. <em>Almost…</em> His muscles tensed, ready to act. <em>N--!</em></p><p> </p><p>A strong hand gripped the redhead around his left elbow as he was about to jump and pulled him backwards. Reno almost lost his footing at the sudden movement, his body turning with the momentum and he found himself nearly pressed up against Cloud. The blond was looking at him with mild panic flashing in his sincere eyes and Reno barely acknowledged the sound of the car speeding passed only a couple feet behind him.</p><p> </p><p>Well… <em>that </em>had been unexpected, to say the least. It never crossed the Turk’s mind that Cloud would pull him out of danger like that, completely unprovoked and knowing damn well Reno could take care of himself. He <em>should </em>have been annoyed, he <strong><em><b>tried </b></em></strong>to be; he wasn’t some weakling <em>damsel </em>that needed to be rescued! The only thought he had, however, was that Cloud had <em>chosen </em>to pull him away from a threat on his own. And that spark of fear Reno saw in his eyes was real; he’d seen it on the blond’s face before, although directed toward other people. He was frightened Reno would get hurt. And Reno could not be mad about it. Reno found it… kind of sweet.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead swallowed back the warmth that thought brought him, instead focusing how close the fighter was and noticed the air around him felt warm. <em>…the fuck? Is he a living space heater?</em> It was strangely comforting in the cool, early fall air.</p><p> </p><p>A moment of silence passed between them and Reno soon realized that this could actually work to his advantage. A slow smile curved his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“My hero,” he whispered, leaning in toward Cloud and carefully reaching out with his left hand to wrap his arm around the fighter’s waist, the blond’s hand still gripping Reno’s elbow moved up to the redhead’s shoulder even as Cloud flinched slightly at the touch.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I was just--”</p><p> </p><p>“Worried about me?” Reno breathed the words into the blond’s ear. “I’m touched, yo.” He felt a shiver ripple up Cloud’s back and the grip slightly tightened on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Instinct!” Cloud hissed, his breath tickling the redhead’s cheek. “You weren’t getting out of the way and I couldn’t… I just did what I had to.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno hummed as he pulled back a bit to look into the fighter’s slightly flushed face. “So ya acted on impulse,” he offered, trying to soothe away Cloud’s embarrassment, even if he was super cute with that blush. “Nothing wrong with that,” he continued with a shrug. “I wonder, though, what that quick instinct of yours is telling you to do now.” He watched something flash within blue eyes; Cloud didn’t respond verbally, but the redhead felt Cloud’s other hand reach beneath his blazer to gently grab his waist, just above his right hip.</p><p> </p><p>The warmth from Cloud’s hand immediately seeped through his silk shirt and Reno had to fight back a shiver of his own, his pants already starting to feel a bit tight. <em>The fuck are ya doing to me, Blondie?</em> They were barely even touching and Reno was having to remind himself to <em>chill</em>! At least he was able to keep his right arm at his side, still determined to not allow himself to make the fighter feel trapped, despite wanting to drag the blond into the alley and take his chances.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s see,” the Turk said softly, again leaning close, his mouth a mere inch away from Cloud’s slightly parted lips, “what can I do to properly thank you?” A shaky breath brushed against Reno’s cheek and he found himself moving forward a hair, the urge to kiss the fighter almost overwhelming. <em>Not here,</em> he reminded himself, even though Cloud did the same, their lips almost touching, breath mingling. Just a small movement would press them together and Reno would finally know how soft those lips of Cloud’s were.</p><p> </p><p><em>Not. </em><strong><em><b>Here</b></em></strong><em>!</em> The redhead knew without a doubt that kissing Cloud now would undo him; there would be no stopping the tide of lust he was holding back. It had been too long, the blond was fucking <em>hot</em>, and Reno was chagrined to realize that his teasing had affected more than just Cloud. He hadn’t felt this amount of <em>heat </em>for another man since…. Well, in a long time; Reno squashed the memory before the pain could accompany it.</p><p> </p><p>With more willpower than he realized he had, the Turk pulled his face away. The disappointment in Cloud’s eyes was almost painful. <em>Don’t be sad, baby.</em> Reno offered an apologetic smile before he spoke. “While I think on it, how about I treat ya to a drink?” he proposed, running his hand along the blond’s back comfortingly. “I’ve got a decent selection back at my place.”</p><p> </p><p>The fighter’s body tensed and his eyes narrowed slightly, that skittish side to him coming back and Reno almost sighed in frustration; <em>I know there’s a big trust issue here, but come on, man!</em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>Or</em>,” the redhead quickly countered, “we could go to a bar and I could treat ya to a drink there.” When Cloud relaxed slightly at the suggestion, he continued, “Someplace with dozens of ears and eyes to listen in and watch as we talk about ways for me to thank you for saving me.” Reno moved his right hand as he spoke, slowly reaching up to gently grab the blond’s left hand, which was still at his waist, and began leisurely pushing it down his body. “Whatever that would call for, yo,” he purred as he guided Cloud’s hand to his ass. The redhead released a soft moan when Cloud gave him a little squeeze and Reno ran his hand up the fighter’s arm to have it rest against his leather-clad chest. Even through the layers of clothing, Reno could feel Cloud’s heart pounding quickly against his palm. “Your call, Cloud.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud didn’t respond immediately, not that the Turk expected him to. There was more than just sexual tension between them; Reno could easily tell the blond was still scared, deep down, of ShinRa wanting him back as a test subject. Hojo was long gone, most mako testing was now prohibited, and what the old ShinRa company had been was lying in ruins at Midgar and other abandoned facilities around the world. Things had changed, but the redhead knew the wound Cloud bore of his time in that filthy mansion would always hinder any kind of trust he’d have for anybody connected to ShinRa, the Turks especially.</p><p> </p><p><em>I should probably just appreciate getting this far with him,</em> Reno tried to reason and ignore the small stab of pain he felt at realizing it wasn’t just the company that instilled this level of mistrust. <em>He could knock my ass to the curb and walk away and be totally justified doing it. Damn, Blondie, if your gonna shoot me down, just fucking do it, man!</em></p><p> </p><p>There was a small sigh from the fighter before he finally spoke. “Okay, your place.”</p><p> </p><p>Auburn eyebrows shot up in surprise, Reno having started to expect Cloud to simply turn around and fuck off.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe being in a public space isn’t the best idea,” Cloud continued, his gaze darting to his left in a shy manner, a pink hue returning to his cheeks, “depending on… what you decide.”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead smiled, Cloud’s hand still on his butt giving another little squeeze. It was too adorable seeing possibly the strongest man on the planet, who has seen and experienced awful shit that would make the toughest of individuals crumble, turn all shy-teenager when talking about sex. It was on the tip of Reno’s tongue to make another quip about having a good time, but the sudden hardened look from the fighter stopped him from saying anything.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s expression was cold, eyes shimmering like sharp sapphires as they stared directly into the Turk. “Don’t make me regret it,” was the blond’s warning, and judging by how harsh his tone was, it was to be Reno’s <em>only </em>warning.</p><p> </p><p>The smile on Reno’s lips didn’t waiver and he leaned forward, pressing his body against Cloud’s while keeping their gazes locked. “I promise you won’t be disappointed, baby,” he purred.</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s breath hitched, blue eyes dilating for a moment, and Reno felt Cloud’s erection twitch against his hip. When he focused his gaze again, Cloud looked at the Turk with burning need that he could feel. “Not a good idea to call me that right now.” Cloud’s voice was suddenly deep and husky, heavy desire flashing like lightning within his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>A shiver ran up Reno’s back at the sound and sight, the hint of danger within those words made his own stiffened cock pulse with impatience. He ran his tongue along his top lip, wondering if he had ever been this turned on before. Or if the blond even realized how fucking sexy he was being.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit!” The curse was quietly hissed from Cloud’s lips and before the Turk could process why he said it, he suddenly felt a firm grasp on his left arm and he was nearly being dragged down the sidewalk by the fighter. “Your place better not be far.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno couldn’t stop from chuckling as he quickly fell into step beside Cloud. “Just across the city, shouldn’t take more than ten minutes, yo.” He was glad he’d decided against taking his car and instead grabbed a taxi for his night out, made this arrangement even easier.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud released the redhead as they came up to Fenrir parked along the street a little ways down the sidewalk and began fishing out his keys.</p><p> </p><p>Reno took a moment to appreciate the large motorcycle, gaze following the curves and bends set along the body and exhaust pipes. “Mmm, forgot how sexy your ride is, Cloud.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s smile was small as he glanced at Reno before mounting the impressive bike, releasing the kickstand and motioning with a nod behind him. “Get on.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno was only slightly disappointed that sharp edge of desire was no longer in Cloud’s voice, but his smile did widen at the double meaning those words could have. He stepped up to the sleek motorcycle and swung his left leg over it to mount behind the fighter, probably enjoying the closeness a little too much.</p><p> </p><p>“Better hang on,” Cloud said as he leaned forward, putting the key into the ignition.</p><p> </p><p>He just couldn’t help himself, despite knowing how far he’d already pushed. Reno pressed up against the blond’s back and leaned in to whisper, “Like this?” against Cloud’s left ear. He put his hands on Cloud’s hips and moved them up under his leather jacket to slowly bring them around to his tight abdomen, the redhead’s left pinky dragging just beneath the top of the fighter’s jeans where he got the smallest feel of course hair for a brief moment before fully moving them across to wrap around Cloud’s waist.</p><p> </p><p>The blond shivered again, his voice dipping low once more. “We won’t make it across the city if you keep that up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm, tempting,” Reno replied, slightly tightening his hold, “but a fair point, yo. I promise to behave.”</p><p> </p><p>The look Cloud shot over his shoulder was skeptical.</p><p> </p><p>“Really, man,” the redhead offered, expression sobering. “Yo, the last place I wanna end up is the hospital ‘cause I was messing with ya while you were driving.”</p><p> </p><p>That seemed to placate the blond and he looked forward again, starting the ignition.</p><p> </p><p>Fenrir roared to life and Reno gasped a little at how the rumble of the engine rippled through his body, not remembering the bike feeling so… <em>good </em>from when he last was on it. It almost reminded him of a vibrating bed, but much, <em>much </em>smoother and definitely sexier. The flame of lust that had cooled slightly reignited and the redhead found himself wiggling a bit in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me where to go,” Cloud voiced, seeming not to notice the affect his bike had on his rider.</p><p> </p><p><em>Probably doesn’t even feel the vibrations anymore.</em> “Go straight; I’ll let ya know when to turn,” Reno replied, keeping close to Cloud’s ear so he wouldn’t have to speak too loudly.</p><p> </p><p>Checking for traffic, Cloud pulled away from the curb and sped down the streets of Junon. Reno kept his promise and refrained from any more teasing while he gave directions to his apartment, with a bit of difficulty. His hands itched to gently grab the blond’s corresponding thigh when telling him to make a left or right, and it wasn’t easy resisting the urge to gently nuzzle Cloud behind his ear, especially with his golden hair tickling the redhead’s face. It wouldn’t be worth causing an accident over, he told himself, or making Cloud stop the bike to fuck Reno in the street.</p><p> </p><p>…okay, that one <em>might </em>be worth it, but he doubted the fighter would see it that way. The Turk could see them getting picked up by the local cops and put away for the night, Cloud the color of a beet. Would be a sure fire way to have Cloud never talk or look at him again. Or make Cloud kill him.</p><p> </p><p><em>Still worth it,</em> Reno thought with a mischievous grin. In another world, perhaps he would do it, but in this one he kept his word. The redhead was hoping for future encounters, if this one went well.</p><p> </p><p>Thankfully the traffic wasn’t terrible and they arrived at the gates to Reno’s apartment building in decent time. The redhead scanned his ID and the gates opened into an underground parking garage. All tenants were given at least two parking spaces, one for them and one for a guest, and Reno instructed the blond to take the empty space next to his car.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud eyed up the black, four-door vehicle as the redhead dismounted Fenrir. Its design was a cross between a muscle car and a sports car, sleek and aerodynamic, but still had lots of room in the back and a decent sized trunk. If there was one thing Reno was sure he wanted, it was a spacious back seat for his more personal needs. He wondered if Cloud would be down for a romp in his car someday. <em>Maybe with the proper coaxing….</em></p><p> </p><p>“This is your car?” the blond finally asked as he got off his bike.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smirked at bit at the slight disbelief in Cloud’s tone. “Something wrong with that, Blondie?”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud shrugged. “Just thought something you drove would be more… <em>flashy</em>.” Blue eyes glanced at the Turk to run over his body again as if to make his point.</p><p> </p><p>Amusement glittered in Reno’s eyes as he returned the blond’s gaze. He certainly wasn’t wrong; really the only distinguishing characteristics was the single, bright red fox-head sticker on the rear window, a little fox plushy hanging from the rear view mirror, and ShinRa parking permit in the bottom corner of the windshield. “One of the downsides to my job; can’t be peacocking my ass <em>everywhere </em>I go.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s gaze shot up to Reno’s vibrant red hair. “You certainly don’t need a car to do that.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno grinned. “I’m a bit of a rebel,” he replied with a wink. <em>And you get certain perks for doing your job well.</em> Knowing Cloud’s hangups with his line of work, Reno kept some comments to himself; it wouldn’t do to turn the blond completely off <em>now</em>. “C’me on, elevator’s over here.” He moved further into the garage toward the duel elevators sitting at the back. The garage was quiet for the moment, most of the vehicles gone and the Turk thanked whoever was responsible for his shot of luck with that. He doubted the blond would be as calm if there were people constantly coming and going around them.</p><p> </p><p>He heard the fighter keeping step behind him with a chuckle. “What ya giggling about, Cloud?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hot and Spicy?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s smile was wide, immediately recognizing his personalized license plate; HT N SPCY. He whirled around, walking backwards a few steps to look at the following blond. “Fitting, don’t ya think?”</p><p> </p><p>Those pretty eyes again gave him a once over. “Very,” Cloud agreed with a soft smile of his own.</p><p> </p><p>Reno spun back around and approached the elevators, sticking his right hand into his pants pocket as he hit the call button for the left elevator. Cloud came to stand beside him and a comfortable silence fell around them as they waited. It only took a couple moments for the elevator doors to open and the two boarded, Reno hitting the button for the fifteenth floor as they entered.</p><p> </p><p>They remained quiet for several minutes as the elevator ascended. The redhead’s pulse began to quicken; <em>so close!</em> He could only imagine how good this was going to be, based on what little he’d been able to tease out of the fighter. Reno had to stop himself from pouncing on Cloud right there. <em>Stay chill,</em> he reminded himself again. <em>This has to be his call.</em></p><p> </p><p>Despite his eagerness, Reno really did want every step to be the blond’s choice. He figured the best way to possibly get Cloud into his bed a second time would be to ensure the first time was above and beyond a positive experience. With that thought, Reno quickly came up with a few rules for the evening: don’t let him feel trapped at any point, give him space, allow him to leave, let him set the tone. It was why the redhead kept a good couple feet between them now. At no point did he want to instill into the blond that this was a bad idea.</p><p> </p><p>A moment later, however, it seemed Cloud was doing that on his own. The fighter suddenly sighed on a whisper, “Why am I here?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno looked over at Cloud, noticing the indecision on his face. He stood stiffly with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the elevator doors. <em>Hmm, looks like Blondie needs another little push.</em> “I can answer that,” he replied with a smirk, not surprised when the fighter didn’t acknowledge him. Moving to stand just behind Cloud, the redhead leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “<em>Curiosity.</em> You wanna know what it feels like, baby.” As he stepped back, searing blue eyes turned to watch him and Reno’s grin widened. “I’ve been pretty curious myself, yo,” he added, slowly gazing over the blond’s body again before looking away.</p><p> </p><p>He could feel those eyes on him and it turned the redhead on so fucking much. Something about Cloud watching him made him want to put on some kind of show, give the fighter every reason to stare and not look away. Reno fought against the urge to simply show the blond what he was doing to him; put his back against the wall of the elevator and touch his throbbing cock through his leather pants while staring right back at Cloud and tell him, <em>“See what ya do to me, Blondie?”</em> and slowly pull down his fly--</p><p> </p><p><em>Chillchillchillchillchill, </em> <strong> <em> <b>CHILL!</b> </em> </strong></p><p> </p><p>Reno took a deep breath through his nose, placing that little fantasy in the back of his mind to imagine at a later time. His dick was nearly throbbing with unfulfilled need and he knew he had to pull his lust back a few pegs, otherwise he risked creaming himself without Cloud even fucking touching him.</p><p> </p><p>There was a faint “ding” sound as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open to the empty hallway of the fifteenth floor. Reno stepped into the hall with a small, relieved sigh. It only took a few steps for him to realize the blond hadn’t followed. Hiding his disappointment, the Turk turned and gazed at Cloud with a neutral expression.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter stood just as still with his arms crossed, blue eyes focused on Reno with some uncertainty. Reno called upon patience he didn’t realize he still had and waited the few, long seconds that passed. <em>If he wants to leave, he can leave,</em> he reminded himself. <em>…even if that would be a major </em><strong><em><b>dick move</b></em></strong><em> to leave me wanting like this. Damn you, Blondie.</em></p><p> </p><p>The very moment the elevator door began closing, Cloud moved, slipping through the shrinking gap agilely before it closed on him and stepped up to the redhead. “You know what they say about curiosity,” he said with a little smirk.</p><p> </p><p>Reno hoped his relief wasn’t as obvious as it felt and he grinned back. “Yeah, but we ain’t cats. Besides,” he added, shooting a sensual look to Cloud, “I hear that <em>satisfaction </em>can bring it back.” He held the blond’s burning, desire filled gaze as he took two steps backward before turning and heading down the hall. There was no doubt, this time, that Cloud was right on his heels.</p><p> </p><p>The hallway split into a T shape and Reno turned right, heading towards the doors sitting opposite each other at the end of the hall. Removing his keys from his blazer, the redhead unlocked the door on the right, labeled 1501 on a somewhat fancy black and gold colored plaque, and swung it open. He flipped on a light, illuminating the entryway and part of the living space, and tossed his keys onto the side table sitting beside the door.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smiled at not only hearing Cloud shut the door, but also the soft click from the deadbolt being secured. He started heading toward the kitchen at the back of his apartment, still planning to offer the fighter a drink, but only took two steps before he was grabbed from behind and all but thrown against the wall to his left, Cloud’s hard body pressing against his and keeping him pinned.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead stared at burning blue eyes in shock, his mind completely blank as he took in the desperate look on Cloud’s face. His cheeks were flushed, lips slightly parted as he breathed heavily, and Reno could feel the hands gripping his hips tighten slightly. It seemed the fighter was doing everything he could to hold back and it made Reno shiver with desire. <em>Fuck, didn’t think I’d push him this far!</em></p><p> </p><p>As if coming to his senses, Cloud took a deep breath and loosened his hold upon the Turk. “Sorry,” he whispered, “I just….”</p><p> </p><p>“Following that <em>instinct </em>of yours again?” Reno finished, reaching up to rest his hands on the blond’s biceps.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud swallowed and nodded once, a flash of concern flickering through the searing need in his eyes. “Did I hurt you?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shook his head, running his hands over the fighter’s tense, leather-clad shoulders to wrap his arms around Cloud’s neck. “Just surprised to see this side of ya, Blondie.” He leaned close to Cloud’s face, again bringing their lips just inches apart. “And sometimes I like it rough.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s shaky breath cascaded over Reno’s chin and Cloud pressed his hips forward, grinding delightfully against Reno and the redhead moaned at the delicious friction.</p><p> </p><p>Reno returned the pressure, somehow finding the control to not kiss the fighter. <em>Fuck </em>did he want to, but again he wanted Cloud to set the pace. <em>C’me on, baby!</em> The redhead whimpered when Cloud thrust his hips a bit harder, almost pushing Reno up the wall. He wanted this, <em>needed </em>to have Cloud fucking him through this damn wall <strong><b>now</b></strong>! Reno rolled his hips against Cloud’s, his body warming and cock already leaking within his pants.</p><p> </p><p>“What about drinks?” Cloud breathed, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he halted his movements.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead nearly growled in frustration at the loss of friction. His patience was razor thin, but he managed a gasping reply. “Forget the drinks! Fuck me, Cloud!”</p><p> </p><p>Reno barely saw the burning desire turn the fighter’s blue eyes into the color of dark sapphire before Cloud was finally, <em>finally </em>kissing him. His lips were exquisitely soft as they moved against Reno’s, parting after only a moment and the blond’s tongue tentatively ran along the Turk’s bottom lip. Reno moaned and eagerly opened his mouth, nearly sucking Cloud’s tongue down his throat. His left hand ran through the fighter’s downy golden tresses as their tongues danced, his right reaching down to cup a tight, jean-covered ass cheek and encouraged Cloud to continue moving.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s hips pushed forward and the redhead moaned again, rolling his hips in response. It was too good! He sucked suggestively on the tongue in his mouth and had to whimper at the hard thrust against hips. The blond’s hands moved, feeling their way up Reno’s torso to finish unbuttoning his shirt beneath his open blazer. That delicious mouth left the redhead’s a moment later, trailing hot kisses and licks over his cheek and down his throat.</p><p> </p><p>Reno tilted his head back and he lifted his left leg to wrap it around Cloud’s hip, hissing at the added pleasure the new angle caused. He squeezed the blond’s butt as he pushed back with thrusts of his own and hissed when Cloud nibbled gently at his collar bone.</p><p> </p><p>Warm hands began exploring his chest, Reno feeling a warning tingly sensation in his pelvis as course fingers found and pinched his nipples. He gasped and moaned, back bowing away from the wall. “C-Cloud, baby,” Reno warned breathlessly, a weird sensation of gratefulness and disappointment washing over him as the blond paused his ministrations to gaze at the pinned Turk.</p><p> </p><p>Reno swallowed at the raw lust in those pretty blue eyes, the blond’s lips were parted and nearly as breathless as the redhead felt, cheeks flushed cutely. Again Reno had to rein himself in; <em>you’re too fucking hot, Blondie!</em></p><p> </p><p>“I won’t last,” he said once he found his voice. “Need you now, baby.” The redhead emphasized his point with a strong roll of his hips.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud swallowed, irises dilating slightly as he nodded. He leaned forward to kiss Reno again and the Turk moaned into the blond’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s hands left the redhead’s chest to pull down Reno’s blazer and let it fall to the floor. Reno brought his hands back to immediately grab the blond’s coat, pulling down the zipper to open it and all but yanking it off Cloud, tossing it aside.</p><p> </p><p>The dark blue sweater beneath didn’t have an easy way of removing it, however, and Reno tugged at the hem, pulling the material up to expose the fighter’s toned abdomen and pecks. He whimpered with impatience when the blond’s arms halted his removal of the garment. The growl he got in response was almost predatory and sent a strong ripple of desire through his body.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud reluctantly pulled his mouth away from the redhead’s and helped in removing his sweater, throwing it off to his right and locking their lips again.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s hands tangled within the fighter’s hair, keeping his head in place and encouraging him to plunder his mouth with that surprisingly talented tongue.</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s right hand trailed down Reno’s left side, over his hip and up his thigh still wrapped around Cloud. The hand reached the leather boot and it was Cloud’s turn to make a frustrated sound, again breaking their searing kiss.</p><p> </p><p>“Why’d you wear something so complicated,” he complained, glaring slightly as he began blindly undoing the lacing.</p><p> </p><p>“‘Cause I look hot in ‘em,” Reno explained, kiss-swollen lips grinning.</p><p> </p><p>The corner of Cloud’s mouth twitched. “Fair point.” He hissed a small curse and turned away to look at what he was doing, obviously not satisfied at how long it was taking for the boot to come off.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead giggled and decided to help, leaning over to begin undoing his right boot. With a practiced hand, Reno was able to loosen it up enough to slip off his foot, also removing his sock, just before Cloud finished doing the same.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s mouth found Reno’s again as he gently removed the Turk’s left leg from his hip and reached for the button on his pants.</p><p> </p><p>Reno moaned in delight at feeling the blond unbutton and pull the fly down of his leather pants. Instead of tugging them down, however, Cloud again placed his hands on Reno’s waist and slowly moved his hands down, pushing the material away and groaning low in the redhead’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>The Turk gasped when his leaking cock was finally freed, never really been one for underwear, and he thrust his hips against Cloud’s, shivering as he rubbed along the blond’s jeans. Cloud’s hands cupped his ass and squeezed for several moments, encouraging the redhead to frot against him.</p><p> </p><p>Reno whimpered and reached down to pull his pants down farther, frustrated as the material began hindering his movements and knowing they would just be in the way. Cloud soon began helping, releasing the redhead’s butt and pushing the leather further until they fell down his long legs. Reno kicked them away, glad to be rid of them.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s touch returned to Reno’s hips, one hand gliding back to cup his bare ass cheek, and the other trailed along the front of his pelvis and grabbed his stiff erection, giving it a gentle pull.</p><p> </p><p>Reno released the blond’s hair and wrapped his hand around Cloud’s, stopping his fucking delicious stroking and broke the kiss. “Nu-uh,” he moaned, shaking his head. “Too much; want you inside when I come, baby.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s breath hitched and he nodded, releasing Reno’s heated flesh. “Do you have, uhm, stuff?” Cloud’s voice was the low, hoarse tone again and it took a moment for the redhead to figure what he was asking.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s mind was heavy with desire and the need to keep in control enough to not blow too soon. Cloud suddenly going all shy again wasn’t helping, only spiked the need to have the blond fuck him even higher. <em>Stuff? What stuff? Stuff for fucking?</em></p><p> </p><p>It finally clicked and Reno nodded, eyes going to his discarded blazer. He quickly snatched it off the floor and began fumbling through its pockets. He knew he had stashed some protection in there somewhere; phone, apartment ID, ShinRa ID, pack of mints, wipes, lucky dice. It felt like forever before he finally grabbed onto the condom and gel pack, removing them from the blazer and tossing it back to the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Reno caught Cloud’s lips in another kiss as he reached down to undo the blond’s jeans, Cloud’s hands again coming to rest on his hips. He allowed himself a moment to cup Cloud’s stiff bulge, moaning at the heat emanating from beneath the fabric. Popping the button free and lowering the zipper, the redhead opened Cloud’s jeans and pulled them and his underwear down just enough to release his hardened dick.</p><p> </p><p>Breaking the kiss, Reno looked down at the blond’s package and licked his lips. It looked perfect, not too thick, not too long and the head slicked with precum. He wanted to taste it. <em>No time;</em> it took the redhead’s remaining willpower to not drop to his knees right there and suck Cloud off. <em>Do that later, fuck </em><strong><em><b>now</b></em></strong><em>.</em> His hands were slightly shaking as he tore open the condom package and pulled the rubber out. Throwing the useless foil aside, Reno rolled the condom onto Cloud’s cock and snapped the tab off the lube and rubbed a good portion along the length.</p><p> </p><p>It was Cloud’s turn to hiss and stop the redhead’s strokes with a shake of his head. “Won’t make it with you doing that,” he said with a small grin.</p><p> </p><p>“Can’t have that,” Reno replied and handed the lube packet to the blond.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud took it and gazed at the Turk for a moment, his eyes still heavy with desire. “Turn around,” he requested.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead smiled and complied, bracing himself with his hands and resting his forehead against the wall while sticking his bottom out toward the fighter. “Like this, baby?”</p><p> </p><p>The sound that must have come from Cloud’s throat, for Reno truly didn’t know where else it could have originated, was a low, guttural growl. The redhead looked over his shoulder to see those burning blue eyes gazing hungrily at his backside.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud reached out and pulled the silk shirt Reno was still wearing up and out of his way. His left hand grabbed one pale ass cheek as the other dripped some of the remaining lube over his quivering entrance.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead inadvertently wiggled his hips at the sensation; <em>fuck </em>it had been too long. He barely registered Cloud coating his fingers with what little lube was left, although he did see the small packet get tossed aside, before the blond’s left hand was gripping his hip and a slick finger began pressing against him.</p><p> </p><p>Reno moaned as the digit breached his body, quickly relaxing to the intrusion as it thrust in and out. To his credit, Cloud was trying to properly prepare him; the redhead could feel the way a second finger joined the first that the fighter was holding back. The initial penetration was a bit rough, but quickly followed by slower thrusts, as if Cloud had to constantly remind himself to slow down a little.</p><p> </p><p>At this point, however, Reno really wouldn’t complain if the blond just laid into him. <em>That would be one fucking good ride.</em> He moaned again as those fingers grazed his prostate and he pressed back against Cloud’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>That seemed to be the fighter’s breaking point. The fingers quickly withdrew and Reno felt the lubed, condom covered head of Cloud’s cock pressing against him. He whimpered and tried to push back, making Cloud moan and he grabbed the redhead’s hips with mako-enhanced strength and slowly thrust forward.</p><p> </p><p><em>Finally</em>… <strong><em><b>finally </b></em></strong>Cloud was sliding into his body and it was all Reno could do to not cream right there. It was only mildly uncomfortable, but he relaxed fairly easily around the intrusion with the how carefully the blond was penetrating him. His eyes slipped shut as he savored the sensation and moaned in delight.</p><p> </p><p>When Cloud was buried to the hilt, Reno instinctually began rotating his hips, loving the feel it gave him and the delicious sounds it brought out of his partners. However, it made Cloud hiss loudly and his grip became vice-like on his hips. “Don’t move!” the blond demanded through clenched teeth. “Fuck Reno, <em>don’t </em><strong><em><b>move</b></em></strong><em>!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead obeyed with a whimper, fighting to keep his urges under control. <em>Fuck why is it so damn </em><strong><em><b>hot </b></em></strong><em>to hear him talk like that?!</em> There was something about Cloud dominating him that just seemed to set Reno off, in this instance at least, with the both of them on the very edge of losing themselves to passion.</p><p> </p><p>His pelvis throbbed with the strain of staying still and the steel grip on his hips, and his fingers started clawing into the wall. A short whine escaped his throat after several moments of gasping breaths; Reno was at his limit and he knew it. “Baby… <em>Cloud, </em><strong><em><b>please</b></em></strong><em>!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>There was a sharp intake of breath before the blond’s hot body pressed along Reno’s back, warm breath cascading over his cheek. “Please <em>what</em>?” was Cloud’s husky reply in his ear.</p><p> </p><p>Reno groaned and fought to clear his head enough to speak rationally. “<em>Please</em>,” he begged, opening his eyes to gaze at Cloud’s flushed face, “fuck me, Cloud.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s face darted forward to give the Turk another searing kiss, Reno grabbing the back of Cloud’s head with his left hand to deepen the kiss. He moaned loudly when Cloud finally granted his wish and began to thrust within the redhead. His pace was slow at first; Reno almost begged again for more. As if he could read the Turk’s mind, Cloud increased his speed and pulled his mouth away to pant against Reno’s lips.</p><p> </p><p>Reno moaned in delight, the pressure on his hips releasing as the blond grabbed Reno’s left leg under his thigh and lifted it up. His right hand wrapped across the redhead’s torso and carefully pulled him away from the wall.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Fuuuuuuuck!</em>” The new angle insured Cloud was hitting his sensitive spot with every thrust and Reno’s whole body rocked with pleasure. The blond breathed heavily against his ear and the heat coming from his strong body as he held Reno was all too much. The pressure mounted with every thrust, he would not last long.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud seemed to be in a similar situation, his breath coming in uneven gasps as his thrusting became almost brutal.</p><p> </p><p>“Baby, <em>fuck</em>, oh fuck, <strong><em><b>fuck</b></em></strong>!” Reno’s moans grew louder with every snap of Cloud’s hips, the pleasure mounting with every shock to his prostate. It just kept building and building and <em>building </em>with each thrust and groan and gasp from the blond, his release remaining just out of reach as Reno continued to teeter on the edge of extreme bliss.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Come,</em>” Cloud whispered.</p><p> </p><p>That was it; it was like something snapped within the redhead and he cried out the fighter’s name as his orgasm hit like a tidal wave. Reno tensed, grabbing onto Cloud’s arm across his chest and still thrusting hip behind him as he finally fell over the edge, his ejaculate splashing onto the wall in long spurts. Pleasure buzzed across his whole body as he rode out the intense rush that just seemed to keep coming. He barely registered Cloud’s cock twitching within him as the blond joined him in bliss with a long, low groan and several, final deep thrusts into Reno’s body.</p><p> </p><p>Reno was certain he was going to pass out as his climax very slowly began to fade away, his eyes crossing for several seconds as he fought to catch his breath. He didn’t know if he’d ever had an orgasm last so long before. Every nerve in his body seemed to tremble and the blond’s breath against his skin made him shiver, even as the thick fog of bliss began to lift.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud slowly slid his softening dick from the redhead and he moaned softly at the action. Reno quickly noted a problem as the blond gently set his leg down, but before he could warn Cloud, the fighter loosened his hold on the redhead’s chest and Reno’s knees buckled.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud easily pulled him back against his chest, the redhead clinging to his arm, still breathing heavily. “Let’s sit,” the fighter suggested, his voice hoarse, and took a couple steps backward, sliding them both to the floor against the back of the couch.</p><p> </p><p>Reno sat beside the blond and leaned against the couch. He looked at Cloud, who was gazing right back at him, his face flushed, several of his golden spikes of hair were plastered to his skin, a fine sheen of sweat covered his naked torso, and his eyes sparkled with afterglow. The redhead knew he had to look just as disheveled.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… fuck me,” Reno stated, voice no less hoarse than Cloud’s and just as breathless.</p><p> </p><p>A small smile curved the fighter’s lips. “I think I just did that.”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead grinned back. “Yes you did, baby.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud stared for a moment, his eyes searching Reno, very much looking like he wanted to tell him something. The Turk waited patiently, his own mind still spinning from that surprisingly intense orgasm.</p><p> </p><p>“Reno… that was….” The blond struggled, looking a bit lost and frustrated with himself as he tried to find his words.</p><p> </p><p>Reno giggled. “It certainly fucking <em>was</em>, wasn’t it?” Blue eyes narrowed at him even as Cloud’s little smile returned. “Yo, I almost passed out!” the redhead added, realizing that Cloud might think he was teasing him.</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s lips twitched and his expression softened. “That good, huh?” His words were quiet, shy, and Reno could not stop his wide smile at how fucking <em>cute </em>it was to hear Cloud get all bashful after he nearly screwed him to unconsciousness.</p><p> </p><p>“It was the fucking <em>best</em>, Cloud.” The redhead considered the fighter for a second, debating his next action. <em>Oh fuck it;</em> against his better judgement, Reno leaned forward and whispered, “Thanks, baby,” before giving Cloud a gentle, slow kiss. He knew it was probably a mistake, to show such affection to someone who was least likely to return it. Tonight was supposed to be just for fun, nothing more.</p><p> </p><p>Reno pulled away when he felt a warning pool of warmth begin to fill his chest. With a quick wink, he sat back against the couch, doing his best to push the emotion he refused to identify away. He flinched slightly as his behind gave a throb of protest at the movement and he became aware at how sore he was. <em>Damn, Blondie did go to town on me. </em>The redhead slightly readjusted his position to get a bit more comfortable, his legs still feeling like wet noodles, and smiled to himself. <em>Totally worth it.</em></p><p> </p><p>A few silent moments passed, their breathing evening out. Reno glanced over at the blond when he noticed him move and saw him carefully removing the condom from his soft dick. He raised an auburn eyebrow when he realized the obvious white stain that dripped thickly down the crotch of his jeans, the condom itself losing a few drops of cum as Cloud tied it off.</p><p> </p><p>“Damn you came a lot,” the redhead noted. “I’m surprised the rubber didn’t break.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud snorted. “You tried to repaint your wall,” he replied, nodding across from them.</p><p> </p><p>Reno followed the motion and finally noticed the long, thick strands of cum covering the light green wall. “Oh shit,” he said with a bark of laughter, finding the amount of ejaculate <em>ridiculous</em>. “I didn’t know I had that much spunk, yo!” His laughter died down a bit as he saw Cloud looking a bit confused next to him with the tied off condom and mess on his hands and lap, glancing around for something to clean up with. “I gotchya, Blondie.”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead found and half crawled, half scooted to his abandoned blazer again. Grabbing a couple tiny packages of wet wipes, Reno returned to the blond’s side and offered one to him before opening the other and made his way over to the wall to wipe up his mess.</p><p> </p><p>When he crawled back, the Turk added his dirty wipe to Cloud’s wipe and condom. He was only slightly disappointed at noticing the blond had zipped his pants back up, but even more so when seeing Cloud looking at the door with more than a passing interest.</p><p> </p><p>“Thinkin’ of going somewhere, Cloud?” Reno asked, hoping that pang of sadness at the idea of the fighter leaving wasn’t obvious in his voice.</p><p> </p><p>The blond glanced at him, blue eyes searching his face. Golden brows furrowed as Cloud frowned and he looked away, something on his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Reno tried not to pout at not getting a “no” out of him. <em>Let him leave,</em> he reminded himself, even if he thought it was a shitty rule right now. “I mean, if ya wanna go you can. I ain’t gonna stop ya. Just--” <em>thought you’d wanna stay.</em> He clamped down on those words before any more could slip out.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud turned to look at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish what he was saying.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead sighed; maybe he could convince the fighter to stay without the guilt trip he wanted to lay on him. <em>You can’t just fuck my brains out like that then bail!</em></p><p> </p><p>“Look,” he started, hoping to reason with Cloud, “it’s getting late, most places are gonna be filling up with drunks lookin’ to get with that one-night stand. I doubt you’d be able to sleep hearing all that sex through the walls.” The blond stared with a golden eyebrow raised, suspicion glinting in his blue eyes. <em>Dammit.</em> “The beds are pretty shit, too, yo.” <em>Time for plan B.</em></p><p> </p><p>Cloud chuckled. “How could you possibly know that all beds at every inn within Junon are shit?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shrugged, letting his dark green silk shirt slide off his left shoulder and gazing at the fighter with a sensual expression. “I won’t be in any of them.” <em>Seduction.</em></p><p> </p><p>The fighter’s lips parted slightly as his eyes trailed over the skin exposed to him with barely concealed desire.</p><p> </p><p><em>That’s it, baby, forget all about leaving.</em> Reno smiled as his plan seemed to work. All he had to do now was lead Cloud to the bedroom. Easy.</p><p> </p><p>With another wink, the redhead moved to stand. Turned out not so easy; his legs still felt weak and his head spun slightly as he stood, having to use the couch to support himself. That orgasm really had taken a lot out of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Reno, are you all right?” Cloud was suddenly beside him, blue eyes concerned as he looked over the Turk.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, Blondie,” Reno replied, straightening his posture and summoning all of his strength to not fall over. He gazed at the fighter, appreciating his still bare chest. Without thinking, the redhead brought his right hand up to run it between Cloud’s pectoral muscles, loving the way the blond’s breath hitched at the touch. <em>So smooth.</em> His fingers trailed the underside of Cloud’s left pec before feeling up to a pink nipple, where he gently rubbed the tip of his index finger over it slowly. Cloud released a shaky breath as the nipple hardened and Reno very lightly pinched it.</p><p> </p><p>The blond grabbed Reno’s wrist and pulled his hand away, blue eyes sparkling with conflict as hunger returned to his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>Reno leaned close to Cloud’s mouth again. “I’ll show ya to the bedroom,” he whispered against the blond’s lips and pulled away. Alright, now just a short walk to the bedroom door, was literally right there in the living room a few feet away. <em>Be sexy!</em> Turning away from the fighter, Reno released the couch and took one step toward the door without issue. His second step wobbled and the redhead stumbled into the wall, leaning against it with a small snarl of frustration. <em>Fucking </em><strong><em><b>hell</b></em></strong><em>!</em></p><p> </p><p>“Reno!” Cloud was again at his side, the lust in his gaze once more snuffed out.</p><p> </p><p><em>So much for seduction now,</em> he lamented, his weak leg muscles refusing to work properly. Reno chuckled in spite of himself. “It would seem you fucked the strength right out of me, Blondie.” He looked at the blond hovering at his side and smirked. “My legs feel like I just ran a few marathons.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s shy little smile returned. “Then let me help.”</p><p> </p><p>It was on the tip of Reno’s tongue to ask how, but the fighter moved before he could, hooking his right arm beneath the redhead’s knees and wrapping his left around Reno’s back. He lifted the Turk up seemingly without effort. Reno gasped in surprise at suddenly being held, wrapping his arms instinctually around Cloud’s neck as he began to move toward the bedroom door. “Whoa, man!”</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t drop you,” was the blond’s confident reply and Reno wondered how he still had so much strength left. <em>Fucking SOLDIER enhancements; guy could probably have several black-out inducing fucks in a sitting and be fine! While I can’t even walk after one!</em> For the first time, the redhead found himself a little jealous. As he was wondering if that one payoff was worth all the treatments done to those in SOLDIER, Cloud entered the bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>Soft moonlight filtered in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, cascading over the dark bedding. Cloud carefully stepped up to the bed and set Reno down on it, his gaze lingering on the redhead for few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>Reno was entranced for a moment as, in the low light, the glow in the blond’s blue eyes was a bit brighter and he could make out the vibrant green color of mako energy bleeding into his irises. It circled his pupils, almost looking like tiny solar eclipses. <em>Wow….</em></p><p> </p><p>The fighter moved away, taking a moment to locate a bedside lamp and flick it on before returning his attention to the redhead.</p><p> </p><p>Reno blinked at the light as it knocked him out of his trance and he remembered why they were in the bedroom in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>Trying to be nonchalant about needing to be literally carried into his own bed, Reno leaned back, supporting himself with his left arm as he gazed back up at Cloud. “I’ve got a nice, big bed, yo. And I’m very willing to share.” He was very unconcerned about his nudity, his dark green silk shirt still hanging on his right shoulder, and did very much enjoy those blue eyes slowly running up his body.</p><p> </p><p>Once Cloud’s gaze connected with the redhead’s, Reno noticed an odd look within his expression. The fighter was still for a long while, his eyes searching Reno’s for something. It gave the redhead a small uncomfortable feeling in his gut, like Cloud was trying to dig into his very being for an answer to some question. As the minutes passed, the feeling grew and Reno forced himself not to squirm or twitch or do anything to indicate that something didn’t feel right to him. <em>Suddenly got a problem with me, Blondie?</em></p><p> </p><p>“What do you want?”</p><p> </p><p>The unexpected question from Cloud threw the redhead off. He stared blankly at the fighter, not at all sure how to answer. “I… want?” he replied, the words sounding dumb to his own ears.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud stepped up to the bed and leaned down, bracing his upper body with his hands on either side of Reno’s hips as he moved in close to the redhead’s face. “I’ve made the decisions all night, Reno. I get it. But this one, you seem….” Cloud trailed off, sighing against Reno’s lips. “This is important to you.”</p><p> </p><p><em>…shit.</em> Reno couldn’t fully stop his flinch and he broke eye contact to blindly gaze out the window to his left.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?” Cloud pressed.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead tensed his jaw and bit his tongue to keep the words from spilling out. <em>‘Cause you can’t be like them.</em> Anyone, <em>any other person</em> wanting to leave he would let go without issue, but then he would be just a fuck to them. Cloud Strife <em>couldn’t</em> be like that; he was a good guy, a hero. He wouldn’t just discard Reno like….</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Like the scumbag I am.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>His left hand fisted the comforter as he fought back the pain at the idea and buried further thoughts as to why Cloud couldn’t be just a fuck to him. Another man’s face started to form in his mind, someone else Reno didn’t want to be discarded by, to be seen as more than a good fuck, and he immediately shoved the image into the shadows of his memory, along with the gut-wrenching pain that accompanied it. <em>Not here, dammit!</em></p><p> </p><p>“What do you want?” Cloud asked again, his tone softer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>For you to come back.</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>Shit!</em> Reno swallowed the lump suddenly in his throat and took a deep breath, his jaw muscles beginning to protest being tense for so long. He summoned every ounce of composure he had left and buried all those unpleasant emotions and thoughts away.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re looking too deep into this, man,” he finally replied, grateful his voice was steady. “I’m just saying you don’t have to spend money for a room tonight if ya don’t want to.” Reno cautiously glanced at the blond’s blue eyes still boring into him and was a little proud that the pang of guilt he felt did not make it to his face.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud frowned and continued to do that deep, soul-searching stare that still made the redhead uncomfortable.</p><p> </p><p>Reno sighed. “Either stay or don’t, Cloud. It’s your choice.” Giving the fighter a lingering look, the redhead scooted himself out from Cloud’s hovering position over him and went to the other side of the bed. He turned his back on the blond and removed the silk shirt, tossing it aside before pulling back the covers enough for him to slide under them.</p><p> </p><p>The bed was cold as he wrapped himself in layers of blankets and sheets. His head hit the pillow as he laid on his side, keeping his back to the fighter, and felt the glare weigh on his brow. <em>He can do whatever the fuck he wants.</em> Reno stared blankly at the wall, still feeling that intense gaze burn into him.</p><p> </p><p>He tried to block it out, mad at himself for letting Cloud get to him like that. <em>It was that intense fuck,</em> the redhead tried to reason. <em>Made my muscles feel like jello, could’ve easily made me slip and share too much. ‘Course, it is kinda easy to wanna spill the beans when it comes to Strife, with those big, honest eyes of his.</em></p><p> </p><p>Reno’s scowl softened and he took a deep breath. <em>Dammit, Blondie, why ya gotta be… </em><strong><em><b>you</b></em></strong><em>?</em> He wanted to turn it around; it would be easier to deal with if he could blame Cloud for this frustration that roiled in his gut, keeping other unnecessary emotions at bay. The redhead just couldn’t do it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A mess of my own making; just gotta deal.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Reno grabbed the edge of the pillow and folded it over his face, not wanting to think about it anymore. He was sore, weak, and now feeling mentally exhausted. He wished for sleep to claim him, hoping to be dreamless; the redhead not wanting nor needing painful reminders of what he kept buried away as he slept.</p><p> </p><p>The click of the lamp being turned off made Reno tense even as he tried to ignore it. A soft rustle of fabric, the covers moved as the mattress dipped with extra weight behind him. The redhead’s heart slammed within his chest. Was he nervous? Anxious? <em>Fucking </em><strong><em><b>why</b></em></strong><em>?!</em></p><p> </p><p>There was a gentle pull on his hair, a familiar sensation of the band holding the long tresses together being removed. It was followed by touch, soft and careful, running through Reno’s hair starting at the back of his head. Reno was still, not sure how to react to something so… tender. It confused him and that added to his uncertainty. What was Cloud trying to do?</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s touch remained in his hair for a few minutes before it moved, gently trailing down to the back of Reno’s neck. Careful fingers began to massage the tense muscles there in a slow, circular motion.</p><p> </p><p>Reno released the pillow against his face and took a shaky breath. It felt really nice. The gentle pressure sent a relaxing pulse down his spine, the redhead’s shoulders dropping away from his neck and he pressed back against the touch.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud continued his massage for several minutes in silence, his touch extending to Reno’s upper back and exposed right shoulder. His intrusive thoughts melted away, a strange sense of calm settling over his mind and the Turk felt sleep was slowly washing over him. He hummed in contentment as the blond stopped, the massaging hand resting on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>When he felt Cloud trail his hand down to the redhead’s waist, Reno figured it was his imagination, being half-asleep as he was. What pulled his mind away from the sleep claiming him was the blond wrapping his arm around Reno’s waist and pressing him against Cloud’s warm body.</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Reno,” Cloud whispered, his breath brushing against the redhead’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>Reno was stunned for only a moment, making himself relax in Cloud’s all-too-comforting grasp. He smiled in the darkness. “Night, Blondie.” Reno allowed himself this one singular moment to enjoy having the blond with him as he fell into a restful sleep.</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>Cloud awoke later than he thought he would; the sun had almost completely risen and the early morning light was streaking in through the windows. He took a moment to gather his bearings, his cheeks heating up at remembering the night before and where he was. The blond found himself lying on his back with Reno half sprawled atop him. The redhead’s left arm was slung over Cloud’s chest while a leg was tangled with his.</p><p> </p><p><em>I should go.</em> It was a passing thought, made more out of habit than anything, since he was used to being up early. Sea-green eyes flashing with deep, painful sadness came to the forefront of his mind, remembering that look in Reno’s eyes for a split moment when he was considering leaving. It made his heart ache to see it, although he wasn’t sure why. Maybe because it seemed familiar, having felt that kind of pain himself and knowing how shitty it could be.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud turned his head to gaze at the still slumbering Turk’s pretty face nestled comfortably in the pillow they shared. His eyes ran over Reno’s angular features and shapely lips, resting on the red claw-mark tattoo he could see. Without thinking about it, he brought his right hand up to very softly trace the marking with his fingertips, wondering their significance, if there was any.</p><p> </p><p>He frowned as his fingers trailed to Reno’s kissable lips. <em>Why couldn’t you ask me to stay?</em> Cloud had tried to get the redhead to simply say that’s what he wanted and was still at a loss as to why he refused to admit it. What was holding him back? What was he afraid of?</p><p> </p><p>A soft sigh escaped him as the answers refused to come from the sleeping redhead. Cloud readjusted his grip on his bed mate, his left arm already loosely around Reno’s waist pulling him closer. Reno scooted his body a bit more fully onto the blond’s left side, his face moving in to nuzzle pleasantly against Cloud’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud slowly ran his hands along the redhead’s back and waist beneath the covers. <em>Maybe one day you’ll answer my questions.</em></p><p> </p><p>He dozed off after several minutes, waking up a couple hours later to a pleasant kiss on his lips. Cloud moaned quietly and returned the kiss, left arm instinctively tightening its hold on the redhead’s waist.</p><p> </p><p>“Heya Blondie,” Reno greeted when he pulled away. He propped himself up on his elbow to hover his face just above the blond’s and Cloud gazed up into his pretty, sparkling sea-green eyes. “How’d ya sleep?”</p><p> </p><p>“Really good,” he admitted; the large, cushy mattress with super soft sheets and thick, warm blankets was a far cry from the humble little cot he had back in Edge.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead smiled. “Told ya my bed would be the best.” Without waiting for a response, he leaned down to kiss Cloud again. The fighter kissed back; Reno certainly was a great kisser and he enjoyed every moment their lips were locked. His right hand came up to gently comb through Reno’s bright red tresses as the kiss deepened, Reno coaxing Cloud’s tongue into his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Reno moaned and ground his hips against the blond, alerting Cloud to his aroused state. The redhead’s left leg was also nestled between the fighter’s thighs and Cloud lifted his groin into the warm flesh pressing against him. That little primal flame Reno had ignited within the blond the night before began to grow, although with far less intensity. There were times Cloud couldn’t see straight he’d been so turned on, his body just moving on it’s own before he could process what he even wanted to do.</p><p> </p><p>There was something about this fiery redhead in Cloud’s arms that set off a sexual side to him he wasn’t fully aware of, not that he’d had that many partners in the past to compare to.</p><p> </p><p>His left hand trailed down Reno’s back to gently cup and squeeze his perfectly round butt beneath the covers, the blond swallowing the resulting moan. Reno pulled his leg away from between Cloud’s and re-positioned to straddle the blond, rolling his hips to rub their hardened cocks together.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud broke the kiss with a gasp of pleasure, returning the motion with a bit more pressure.</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm, feels great, baby,” the redhead purred as he leaned his head back.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter’s mouth rushed to Reno’s bared, pale neck with a low growl, giving the flesh a small bite. The way Reno called him ‘baby’ simply set him off, stoking his lust perfectly. It wasn’t demeaning or embarrassing like Cloud thought it should be; instead it was encouraging, urging the blond to make Reno scream in pleasure and enjoy every moment.</p><p> </p><p>He licked the redhead’s now bite-marked neck soothingly, smiling at the shiver he felt run through Reno’s body as a result. Reno was extremely responsive to every touch given and Cloud removed his right hand from soft, red hair to join his left in squeezing Reno’s ass and pressing their hips together a bit harder beneath the sheets.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead moaned against Cloud’s ear, his breathing shaky. Cloud kissed his way up Reno’s slender neck to gently nibble and suck on his right earlobe. Reno whimpered, his hips moving slightly faster, his dick leaking slick fluid to make the motion smoother.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud groaned and released Reno’s ear to find those delectable lips for another searing kiss. The redhead’s movements faltered as he all but sucked the fighter’s tongue into his mouth with another moan. Cloud pressed against Reno’s tongue, still amazed at how it slid and curled along his in all the right ways. It made him wonder how it would feel to have the redhead licking him in… places. The images that appeared in his mind made him blush, even as he thrust his hips harder, turning him on more. <em>Damn, just one night with him and I’m turning into a pervert!</em></p><p> </p><p>Of course, Cloud did have fantasies before, they had just been more… chaste. He was more likely to picture someone in a romantic setting and that had usually been enough for him. Reno had unlocked a side he didn’t even realize was there and while very unfamiliar, he was not against exploring it. <em>What are you doing to me, Reno?</em></p><p> </p><p>Reno lifted his torso, pulling away from Cloud’s mouth to hover over him. “Need ya, baby,” he said breathlessly as he moved his hips up the blond’s body enough to allow Cloud’s cock to spring upward, his leaking tip pressing against Reno’s entrance.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud hissed and fought the very strong urge to thrust up into the redhead’s body. “Aren’t you… sore?” he asked, gazing up at the redhead’s pretty face. Pale cheeks where flushed, lining up almost perfectly with his markings and accentuating his gorgeousness even more. His lips were kiss-reddened and slightly parted as he took shallow breaths while his forever sparkling sea-green eyes shone down at him with such lust and need the blond had to stop himself from wanting to toss Reno down and fuck him hard a second time.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead smiled slowly and shrugged. “A little, but I want ya again, Cloud.” He pushed his hips back, teasing Cloud’s cock against him as he lowered his head, his long red hair cascading around them like a curtain. “I’m all yours, baby, one more time.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s breath caught, hips twitching with the strong desire to plunge into Reno’s delectable heat <em>now</em>. It bothered him a bit, though; the redhead’s words sounded final, like this would be the last. The blond knew was that this was not it. Something told him that this encounter was just the beginning. If they wanted it to be.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud nodded once and Reno was kissing him again. Their tongues tangled and the blond moved his hands from Reno’s soft ass to his thighs, preparing to flip them over. As if sensing the move, the redhead pulled away from Cloud’s mouth again and reached for the nearby nightstand to Cloud’s right. He opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube and a new box of condoms, which he tore open with a bit more force than was necessary. A couple of the foil packs landed on the blond’s stomach, Reno grabbing one and tossing the others onto the night stand without looking.</p><p> </p><p>“How ya want me, Blondie?” Reno whispered, holding the condom and lube ready.</p><p> </p><p>Without warning, Cloud easily lifted the redhead in his lap and turned to his left, Reno plopping onto his back and tossing the covers to the side. Reno chuckled as the blond settled between his legs. “Hope there never comes a time when I need to pin ya down, yo. Don’t think I could with how ya toss me around.” The redhead smiled and handed the items off to Cloud.</p><p> </p><p>The blond took them with a small grin. “I can stop doing it, if it bothers you.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shook his head as he grabbed a pillow to rest it on; they were positioned more diagonally across the bed than Cloud had aimed for. “Manhandle me anytime you want, baby,” he responded with a wink and settled himself upon the bed, heated gaze patient as he spread his legs for the fighter.</p><p> </p><p>It was hard for Cloud to take his eyes off the redhead, he looked so good lying there with his face flushed, bare chest rising and falling with quickened breath. He had to force himself to focus, lest he do this too quickly. The blond figured Reno could possibly take another pounding like last night, but he really didn’t want to give one. Despite Reno’s nonchalant attitude, Cloud didn’t want him in pain over this.</p><p> </p><p>Setting aside the condom, Cloud opened the bottle and smeared the clear, slick substance onto his right index and middle fingers. It was then, as he reached down to begin preparing the redhead, Cloud noticed the marks.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s hips had four oval-shaped bruises on either side, each one about the size of a finger tip. It took a moment for him to realize what they were from, the blond frowning and gently touching the blemishes on otherwise perfect skin with his left hand. “I hurt you.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” The redhead propped himself up on his elbows to gaze down his body. “Holy shit,” he exclaimed, placing his own left hand over the bruises in the same way Cloud had held his hips the night before. “Damn, Blondie!” he choked out as he started laughing. “When you said <em>don’t move</em>, you fucking meant it!”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud did not find it funny. He had been in a fog of intense pleasure; being buried inside Reno had been hot and tight and he was so close to losing out to that feeling. He wasn’t sure if it was as simple as hitting his climax too soon or if there was something else he didn’t want to lose control over. What he did know was that the way Reno had moved his hips made him not want to find out and the redhead <em>needed </em>to stop doing that. Cloud hadn’t realized how much force he had really used when he grabbed onto pale hips.</p><p> </p><p>Reno suddenly sat up, his laughter dying off as he grabbed the blond’s attention away from the bruises. “What’s wrong, Cloud?”</p><p> </p><p>The fighter looked into Reno’s tender gaze. “I almost broke your pelvis and sent you to the hospital.”</p><p> </p><p>“But you didn’t,” was Reno’s simple reply, his eyes continuing to be serious and genuine.</p><p> </p><p>The frown remained on Cloud’s face. He <em>could </em>have. Without meaning to, he easily could’ve snapped Reno like a twig and that thought… kind of scared him. It had been some time since he was unsure of his own strength, but finding that power on the battlefield was in no way the same when discovering it while having sex. Generally, one would like their sexual partner to be unharmed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Reno called, moving his face in close so all the blond could see were his pretty sea-green eyes, “you didn’t hurt me, Cloud. I can take a little rough handling, okay?” When Cloud’s expression didn’t change, the redhead sighed and wrapped his arms around the fighter’s neck, fingers gently combing through golden tresses. “Ya know, sometimes you gotta focus on the thing ya <em>didn’t </em>do instead of worrying about the thing ya <em>almost </em>did.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud saw it; within those nearly-blue eyes was a small flicker of emotion that the fighter knew all to well. Regret.</p><p> </p><p>His expression softened. “Speaking from experience?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shrugged. “Maybe a little.” He leaned forward and planted his lips on Cloud’s, gently kissing away his frown.</p><p> </p><p>He was right; Cloud told himself not to worry about it anymore, although he would try to keep in mind his enhanced strength going forward. Don’t need to actually break something on accident.</p><p> </p><p>The blond deepened the kiss, moaning quietly when one of Reno’s hands reached down to fondle his softening dick back to hardness.</p><p> </p><p>“Now how about ya fuck me into the mattress?” Reno suggested against Cloud’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud shivered and nodded, the redhead’s very talented hand and fingers working his cock like an instrument. It took little time for the blond to have his flame reignited and his dick dripping in Reno’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Lie back,” Cloud requested, only the slightest bit missing the redhead’s warm grip as he obeyed.</p><p> </p><p>Reno lied back down, gazing up at the blond with anticipation sparkling in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud refocused his efforts, not allowing the bruises to bother him as he looked down between the redhead’s legs. He would do this carefully and not rush. Bringing his right hand up to Reno’s entrance, he slowly circled it with his lubed index finger, giving the muscle gentle pokes every few rounds but not penetrating the warm flesh.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead squirmed after only a few moments with an impatient whimper.</p><p> </p><p>“Easy, Reno,” Cloud warned with a smile, working with Reno’s movements and continuing his slow pace.</p><p> </p><p>“S-Stop teasing, yo!” Reno gave a strong thrust of his hips, the blond’s finger nearly sliding into his body.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud pulled his right hand away and placed his left on the lower part of the redhead’s abdomen, pressing down to still his movements. “Don’t move!” he hissed.</p><p> </p><p>The blond wasn’t sure what he looked like in that moment; he could feel a frustrated glare tighten his brow and he inwardly flinched at how harsh his words had sounded. He wasn’t really angry, but was afraid that’s how Reno would see it and get upset back.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s reaction, however, was to stare with eyes that shimmered with excitement as his breath quickened even more. Was he… getting off on this?</p><p> </p><p>Cloud took a deep breath and relaxed his expression. “Be patient; I don’t want to rush this. Just be still, Reno.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, Blondie,” the redhead replied, his voice a bit tight. “I’ll be good.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud removed his hand from soft skin and resumed his gentle touches. He was pleased as Reno kept himself from moving too much, although he made little wanting sounds that had the blond struggling for his control. He did his best to ignore the soft moans, reminding himself he’d get what he wanted in time.</p><p> </p><p>After a few more minutes of prodding, Cloud slowly pushed his finger into Reno’s intense heat. The redhead gasped at the penetration, his head leaning back into the pillow and the fighter had to stop himself from again marking Reno’s exposed throat.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud gently worked his finger within the redhead, rotating the digit slowly in an attempt to massage the muscles. Reno’s back bowed as he moaned when the blond pressed against his prostate. He pulled his finger out leisurely and pushed it back in at the same pace, giving another round of massage before pulling out again. The blond did that routine several times, wondering if there was something wrong with himself as Cloud found Reno struggling to keep still insanely hot.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s eyes had closed, his brow tight with concentration, lips parted as he took shallow, shaky breaths, his pale skin glistening with sweat, and his hands fisting the sheet at his sides while his cock twitched and dripped clear fluid that ran down its length. <em>Gorgeous.</em></p><p> </p><p>Cloud added a second finger slowly, keeping to a similar massaging routine and adding a scissoring motion. The muscles were quick to adjust, but he kept his slow pace. Reno’s legs on either side of him twitched, seeming eager to trap the blond and pull him closer.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter found his own patience thinning as another few minutes passed, Reno tossing his head with barely contained whimpers.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead’s long, low moan nearly undid Cloud when he added a third finger and he paused for only a moment to catch his own breath. Was Reno even aware of how sexy he was being? How thin he stretched the blond’s control?</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the muscles around Cloud’s fingers relaxed, his eyes locked onto Reno’s flushed face. “Reno.” The redhead whimpered and bit his bottom lip. “Reno,” Cloud called a little louder, the deepness of his voice foreign to his ears.</p><p> </p><p>Dark lashes fluttered open, unfocused sea-green eyes finding the blond, shimmering with barely restrained lust.</p><p> </p><p>“Get me ready,” Cloud ordered, gaze flicking to the condom and lube sitting on the sheets to his left.</p><p> </p><p>Reno nodded and shakily pushed himself up, the blond continuing to slowly work his fingers within Reno’s trembling body. He struggled with the wrapper as his hands quivered and he growled softly. Finally using his teeth, the redhead ripped the package open and removed the protection, tossing the foil aside. His breath caught and he moaned when Cloud rubbed his prostate, savoring far too much the straining look within Reno’s eyes to keep on task.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead sheathed Cloud’s stiff cock with the rubber before grabbing the lube squeezing a nice sized dollop onto his left hand. He reached down and gently coated the heated erection, nearly making Cloud’s eyes cross at how fucking <em>good </em>his hand felt.</p><p> </p><p>“How’s that, baby?” Reno asked, his eyes sparkling with a hint of mischievousness as his grip slightly tightened.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud leaned forward and captured those smirking lips with his own, sliding his tongue into the redhead’s mouth with a low growl. He pressed against Reno’s sensitive gland again with a tad more pressure and swallowed the resulting whine.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter suddenly tore his mouth away, a bit pleased at seeing the dazed expression on Reno’s pretty face. “Very good,” he praised, using his free left hand to gently press against the redhead’s shoulder, encouraging him to lie back down. He was able to stop the disappointed sound in his throat at Reno’s delectable touch leaving him again and slightly repositioned himself, scooting closer to the redhead’s hips.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud slowly removed his fingers and leaned over Reno, bracing himself up with his hands on either side of the redhead’s shoulders. Moving his hips until the tip of his coated dick was pressed against Reno’s entrance, he gazed down into expecting sea-green eyes. “Ready for me?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shivered and ran his hands along the blond’s chest. “Been ready,” he replied breathlessly. “Need ya, Cloud.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud again fought the urge to plunge quickly into the redhead; <em>every word he says almost makes me lose control!</em> Instead, he took a steadying breath and slowly, gently pressed into Reno’s body.</p><p> </p><p>Their moans mingled in the air, Reno’s back bowing off the bed as his hands trailing around the blond’s ribs to cling to his shoulders. Cloud hardly noticed the very slight sting from the redhead’s nails digging into his skin as he pushed into Reno’s searing heat. <em>How can he be this hot?!</em> He’d had the same thought the night before and it still brought him dangerously close to spilling into the condom as he slid in to his balls.</p><p> </p><p>This time, at least, Reno remained still and Cloud had a moment to breathe, easing back the threatening orgasm.</p><p> </p><p>“Cloud… baby,” Reno whimpered after a few seconds in a nearly desperate tone.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud smiled and leaned down to the redhead’s left ear. “Easy,” he whispered. “I’ll give you what you want, Reno.” He gently licked at the earlobe near his lips, flicking at the metal hoop pierced there.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead’s breath caught, his arms wrapping tighter around Cloud’s torso.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud began to move, slowly pulling nearly all the way out before just as leisurely pushing back in. Again, he kept his pace slow and methodical, loving the feel as every inch of his flesh once again was encased within Reno’s body.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooooh Cloud,” the redhead moaned, his hips beginning to move with Cloud’s.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, the blond thought Reno intended to coax him into a faster speed, but what the redhead did was so much better. Cloud’s eyes nearly crossed in exquisite pleasure as Reno carefully and masterfully squeezed his muscles every time the blond began withdrawing from Reno, then fully relaxing them as he slid back in. It was like a super erotic massage for his dick and it felt so fucking good.</p><p> </p><p>“S-Shit!” Cloud lowered himself onto his elbows, the strength in his arms leaking away with each slow thrust. He gazed down at Reno’s face and again wondered how he could be so beautiful. The redhead’s parted lips were too tempting and he leaned down for a kiss.</p><p> </p><p>Reno moaned again, sliding his tongue into the blond’s mouth and thrusting it against Cloud’s in a slow, sensual way, matching the pace of their hips. The kiss sent pleasing ripples down the blond’s spine and he groaned.</p><p> </p><p>It was just so perfect. The way Reno clenched around his cock, his tongue gliding along Cloud’s, hands clinging to his back like a lifeline, the delicious sounds he made, and the fact that Reno didn’t press for more, faster, harder. The way he had begged for it made the blond believe that’s how he probably preferred it and was super pleased to realize the redhead could be versatile. Cloud had expected more resistance… and possibly some resulting punishments.</p><p> </p><p>Not that Cloud was admitting he was into such a thing.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud focused again on the pleasure running through his body, letting his random thoughts drift away. The build up was deliciously slow, but it did come; the inevitable end for both of them.</p><p> </p><p>Reno began whimpering into his mouth, his leaking cock twitching between their bodies and the blond knew he was close.</p><p> </p><p>On his next move to pull nearly fully out, Cloud readjusted his hips slightly and when he slid back in, his cock firmly pushed against Reno’s prostate and pressed along it as he entered fully.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead gasped, breaking the kiss as his back bowed against Cloud’s body, fingers again digging into his back. When Cloud did it again, Reno lost it, calling out the blond’s name with a loud moan as he spilled his seed between them.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud slammed their mouths together, the insanely tight heat clenching around him pulling his orgasm out and he growled in pleasure as it cascaded over his body. His cock twitched hard within Reno as he shot his load into the condom and he broke the kiss to pant heavily into the redhead’s ear.</p><p> </p><p>There was still some intensity to it, Cloud starting to wonder if that was just an affect Reno had on him, but not nearly as mind-numbing as their last encounter had been. He found it extremely pleasant, still buried in the redhead’s tight body, Reno’s arms holding him close, and neither of them at risk for falling on their face.</p><p> </p><p>“Damn, Cloud,” Reno said after a few minutes of catching their breath. “That was fucking great.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud smirked, moving his head to gaze into sated sea-green eyes. “You almost sound surprised,” he responded. “This hasn’t been my first time, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shook his head, some of his red tresses sticking to his sweat-slicked skin. “It’s not that, it’s just….” He sighed, expression turning hesitant. The blond waited, encouraging him with his eyes. The redhead gave Cloud a small smile. “It’s been a long time since someone’s given it to me that good. That’s all.” The shrug and accompanied distant, slightly painful look in his eyes that followed told Cloud he didn’t want to talk about it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>You should be getting it “that good” all the time.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was on the tip of his tongue and he wished he hadn’t chickened out on saying it. Reno deserved better than the bed partners he was getting, it seemed.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud had plenty of issues with the work Reno did and many of the awful things he, the Turks, and ShinRa had done in the past, but the blond still believed that intimacy should always be a two-way street. He knew the redhead always gave at least one hundred percent in the bedroom, based on his latest experiences, and his partners should strive for no less.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s hands came up to gently comb through spiky blond locks. “Don’t worry about it, Cloud,” he said, his expression appearing neutral, but Cloud noticed the sadness deep in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p><em>A little late for that,</em> he thought with a frown. It bothered him, Cloud could admit that much, although he wasn’t really sure why yet. The redhead seemed to be hiding… no, <em>avoiding </em>something that pained him a lot. Maybe it was the fact that Cloud had been there, and stayed in that state for years, that made him more empathetic to seeing it in another.</p><p> </p><p>“C’me on, man,” Reno whispered, “I was trying to compliment ya, not make it about me. Just forget it.” He leaned up to gently press his lips against the blond’s, once again slowly kissing his frown away.</p><p> </p><p>It was not an easy thing, to keep one’s thoughts together while being kissed by the redhead. Cloud had to give up in trying to find a way to offer advice, and not being very good with words to begin with, Reno’s distracting mouth did the job. He slid his tongue between the redhead’s lips, savoring Reno’s responding moan. Reno clenched his muscles again, reminding Cloud he was still balls deep in the redhead and he grunted at the tingling pleasure it brought him.</p><p> </p><p>With great reluctance, the blond pulled away from Reno’s mouth and shook his head. “We’ll be here all day, if you keep that up.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s grin was positively feral. “Would it be so bad, baby?” he asked, leaning up to run his tongue along Cloud’s jaw.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter shivered. “T-Tempting,” he admitted breathlessly and cleared his throat, “but I need to get back to Edge and work out my delivery schedule for next week.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s sigh was heavy with disappointment. “The real world calls,” he mumbled before falling back onto the pillow, releasing Cloud’s hair and letting his arms drop beside his head. “Alright, Blondie, I’ll let ya go.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud smiled softly as he pushed himself up, finally pulling out of the redhead. He had barely sat back on the bed when Reno moved, reaching for a box of tissues sitting upon the nightstand. Grabbing a few, the redhead proceeded to wipe away the mess on his stomach, Cloud noticing it wasn’t nearly the deluge from the night before.</p><p> </p><p>The blond took the tissues Reno offered and cleaned himself up, tossing the used condom and dirty tissues in a small bin by the nightstand.</p><p> </p><p>“You can use my shower if ya want, yo” the redhead suggested as he got off the bed.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud almost declined, not wanting to be a bother and knowing several rest stops that offered a shower he could go to. Reno was gazing at him with that small shimmer of sadness again; he was trying to cover it up with a smile, but the blond easily saw through it. <em>What is it that you’re trying to bury?</em></p><p> </p><p>“That would be nice,” Cloud said instead, following Reno into the connected bathroom. The very, <em>very </em>impressive bathroom, the blond noted. A decent sized room, there was a large soaking tub in the corner, which looked like it could fit at least three adults and the shower seemed like it’s own separate glass-walled room that could have several people showering at the same time. The outer walls had large windows, similar to the bedroom, and the morning light poured in.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead tossed something at him and Cloud caught it with ease, looking at the packaged toothbrush in his hand before shifting to gaze quizzically at Reno. “You just keep new toothbrushes lying around?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shook his head as he grabbed his own brush. “Naw, just have one extra at all times in case I need to leave town for work. Not packin’ a used toothbrush with my stuff, yo.” With a wink, he proceeded to begin brushing his teeth.</p><p> </p><p>“Hn, makes sense,” the blond whispered, somehow suspecting that Reno offering his extra wasn’t something he usually did with his partners. The redhead slightly bent over to spit and Cloud felt he should have been ashamed at how easily his gaze was drawn to Reno’s perfect bare ass. With the brighter lighting of the room, he also noticed that the bruises he left on slender hips were more than just fingertips. It was subtle, but there was a distinct hand-shaped outline that encompassed the finger impressions on both hips.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud tried not to let it bother him and he pressed his lips together at the spike of guilt that hit him again.</p><p> </p><p>Reno turned away from the sink, Cloud trying to avert his gaze before the redhead noticed. He wasn’t fast enough, it seemed, as there was a pause before Reno sighed.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead stepped up to the fighter, sea-green eyes capturing Cloud’s attention. “What <em>didn’t</em> ya do last night, Cloud?”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud felt the tension leave his face. “…break your hips.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right!” Reno smiled and leaned close. “You know what ya <em>did </em>do?”</p><p> </p><p>The blond remained silent as confusion settled over his mind. Was that a trick question?</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s smile widened. “You <em>did </em>give me one of the best fucks of my life, baby.” He closed the remaining distance to give Cloud a gentle kiss. It was tender and almost hesitant, throwing the blond off a little as he was getting accustomed to Reno’s more aggressive kisses.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead pulled away after a moment, eyes sparkling with sincerity. “I can handle some bruising, Cloud. I’ve had worse, believe me, so stop worrying your pretty head over it, okay?”</p><p> </p><p><em>What do you mean by worse?</em> Cloud’s lips parted to voice his question, but Reno moved away and began talking again in a lighter tone.</p><p> </p><p>“The bathroom’s all yours, yo,” he declared, stepping toward the door. “Use whatever ya need to, don’t worry about askin’. I’ll make some breakfast while you’re washing up.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond smirked. “Breakfast?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno shrugged. “It won’t be anything real fancy, but should fill ya up. I think we both need to replenish some of that energy we burned off.” With a grin and another wink, the redhead left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud stood there, naked, covered in dried sweat and holding a toothbrush in the bathroom of someone’s apartment he once considered his enemy. It definitely was not the outcome he had expected when he had come to Junon on what turned out to be a bogus delivery call, but he supposed it could have been weirder. All the considerations Reno was taking with him did feel a little odd, though.</p><p> </p><p>Not that he expected the redhead to be a complete asshole really. It was the feel Cloud got from the Turk the night before; a night of fun, nothing more. But when Cloud thought to leave, suddenly Reno’s demeanor changed.</p><p> </p><p>The blond freed the toothbrush from its packaging and walked up to the sink. <em>Why did it go from just ‘having fun’ to ‘I want you to stay?’</em> he wondered as he started brushing his teeth. The real red flag was the seduction. He already had Cloud where he wanted him, why not just ask if he would rather stay? Why come up with excuses to <em>not </em>go?</p><p> </p><p>Cloud sighed through his nose; <em>and now he’s going to make breakfast?</em> That feeling crept into his mind again, the one that suspected Reno was going a bit above and beyond for the blond for the purpose of…. Well, that Cloud couldn’t be sure yet. He could think of several possibilities, most of which weren’t good for him.</p><p> </p><p>Finishing with his teeth, Cloud stepped into the large shower, hoping he could figure out how to work the several nobs that controlled it. His mind kept drifting to the fiery redhead and what this encounter of theirs meant to him, and if he’d ever get answers to his questions.</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>Reno looked at his reflection in the tall windows of his bedroom with a huge grin. It was incredibly <em>hot</em>, seeing the handprint-bruises left on him. He could understand Cloud’s worry about them, but the redhead also saw that Cloud had a great time. They were marks of honor, proving just how worked up Reno could get someone of the blond’s strength and nothing was broken! Definitely a win-win on that. Sure, his hips did ache a little, but damn was the pain worth it. Not like he couldn’t walk or anything.</p><p> </p><p>With a final admiring look, the redhead moved to the dresser against the wall near the bathroom door. He pulled out a pair of pajama pants that were black with a red jalapeno pepper design and put them on, hiding the bruises beneath the fabric. Reno honestly did not want Cloud worrying about it anymore and figured covering his hips would be best.</p><p> </p><p>As he walked toward the bedroom door, his eyes caught sight of Cloud’s jeans, underwear, socks and boots lying beside the bed. A grin curled Reno’s lips at noticing the very obvious white stain still upon the blond’s jeans and he took pity on his guest. Leaving the boots where they lay, he grabbed Cloud’s clothes and took them out into the kitchen, where he had his own washer and dryer on the left wall. <em>Doubt he’d wanna go around in dirty clothes anyhow.</em></p><p> </p><p>Reno emptied the blond’s pants pockets of his belongings before tossing them in the wash, along with the socks and plain white boxer shorts. It took him a moment to locate the sweater Cloud had been wearing, since at the time he tossed it into darkness, but Reno found it bunched up against the wall atop his microwave. Quite the distance from where their passions overcame them, for sure.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead added the sweater into the washer and started it up. While the thankfully fairly quiet machine began it’s cycle, Reno moved more into the kitchen and turned on the small radio he had on the counter. He tuned it to one of his favorite techno/dance stations, bopping a little with the beat, then got the coffee maker going to brew a full pot, not sure if Cloud cared for it or not. Once that was set up, he headed to the refrigerator.</p><p> </p><p>Reno didn’t have a whole lot to choose from when it came to actually putting together something to eat; he usually had the majority of his meals at the cafeteria at work or takeout. On work days, it allowed him to get a few extra minutes of sleep and some social time with other Turks he might not see much otherwise.</p><p> </p><p>Thankfully Reno thought ahead a little bit in this one case and had gotten ingredients to make omelettes. He wondered if that would be enough for someone like Cloud, with his mako-enhanced body and all. <em>Probably needs to eat his weight in eggs to keep up.</em> Before opening the fridge, he checked a cupboard above the stove; he had gotten a craving for pancakes not too long ago and remembered he hadn’t used all of the mix. The box was there along with the left over mix and he placed it on the counter.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s stomach rumbled loudly as he opened the refrigerator. “Yeah, yeah, I know you’re empty,” he muttered as he grabbed the carton of eggs, two blocks of cheese, and some microwavable bacon, “but you’re gonna have to wait.” He placed the items on the counter with the pancake mix and went back in to retrieve the milk, chopped peppers and his favorite bottle of hot sauce.</p><p> </p><p>With the ingredients assembled, the redhead had just procured a bowl to whisk the eggs when his phone started ringing a familiar tune. He quickly found his discarded dark purple blazer and fished it out from an inner pocket, smiling at the number and accompanying picture that lit up the screen.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey there, Leto!” he greeted his younger brother as he draped the blazer over the back of the couch. “Been a while, man.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hey Reno.” Leto’s voice was soft, as it always had been, and laced with some surprise.</p><p> </p><p>The older redhead nearly snorted. “What’s with that tone?” he asked as he resumed breakfast, easily breaking open three eggs into the bowl with one hand. “You called <em>me</em>, yo.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t expecting to actually reach you,” came a somewhat bewildered response. “You’re usually not up before noon on the weekends, Reno, and it’s barely ten. Not to mention you’re not chewing me out for not calling you for a few weeks. You seem… weirdly cheerful.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno grinned, holding the phone with his shoulder as he began whisking the eggs. Their schedules had rarely worked out over the last several months to have many conversations. Lately they’d only been able to simply check in via texts, but it was a poor substitute for their usual banter. “Well, a couple good fucks can really brighten the mood, ya know?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm, no, that’s not it.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno paused his egg-beating for a moment to frown. “Care to elaborate on that?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just,” Leto began, his voice thoughtful; the Turk could see his brother’s expression, staring up to the left, his dark ocean-hued eyes slightly unfocused as he worked things out in his head, lightly scratching at his chin, “I’ve talked to you plenty of times after you’ve had a good fuck, Reno. This is… something different. <em>More.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Reno outright glared at his stove as he put a pan on one of the grills and turned it on. “Don’t know what you mean, man,” he replied, voice stiff.</p><p> </p><p>Leto snorted. “I <em>know </em>you. Evade all you want, Reno, but there’s something else up with this ‘good fuck’ that you’re not telling me.”</p><p> </p><p>The Turk’s lips were a thin line as he poured a small amount of the eggs into the pan before remembering he needed to butter it. “Shit,” he hissed, frustrated at both his distracted cooking and his brother’s annoying insight. “There’s nothing else, yo,” he insisted, grabbing the butter from the fridge and tossing a chunk into the heated pan.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure,” his brother giggled, ending in a small cough. “You keep telling yourself that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you call to talk about something other than my sex life?” Reno asked with a sigh, desperately wanting to change the subject as he poured the rest of the eggs into the pan.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course!” The Turk could hear Leto’s smug smile as he sliced off some pieces of cheddar cheese. “Just letting ya know some of my work is gonna be showcased at the Edge Museum in two weeks; was hoping you could come check it out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? That’s great, man!” Leto was an artist at heart and had been as far back as Reno could remember. He had made a decent name for himself in Midgar and decided to stay in Edge as it grew, working with the impoverished and helping to keep the art community alive during the crisis.</p><p> </p><p>Reno glanced at the calendar he had hanging near his bedroom door, which was specifically set up to remind him the weekends he worked. He grinned at the fortunate timing. “Looks like I’m on call that weekend,” he replied, placing the cheese on the egg along with a few slices of precooked bacon. “So, baring emergencies, I’m free to come out and support ya.” Being flagged as ‘on call’ also granted Reno the privilege of using a helicopter for transport, in case he needed to head somewhere fast.</p><p> </p><p>“Yay! I’m so glad! It’ll be awesome to see you again!”</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s smile widened, betting everything he had that his brother was literally jumping for joy at the news. Leto never was one to hold his excitement in. The Turk had to admit he was pretty excited himself; it had been some time since they’d been able to meet up in person.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t wait to show you the new pieces I’ve made! There’s a bunch I set aside for ya-” His words were cut off by a fit of coughing and a concerned frown tugged at Reno’s lips as he folded the egg over the cheese and bacon. He wanted to tell himself Leto had just gotten overexcited and inhaled some spit or something, but there was a sharpness with the cough that definitely didn’t sound healthy.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay, Leto?” he asked, flipping the omelette a bit clumsily, some melted cheese dripping over the edge of the pan.</p><p> </p><p>Leto calmed the fit after a moment and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine, just fighting off a little cold.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno snorted. “Or making it worse.” His brother could be quite stubborn when it came to getting sick and needing rest. <em>Not that I’m one to talk, I suppose.</em> There had been more than one occasion when he went to work under the weather only to have Rude or Tseng make him return home and go to bed. <em>Must be a genetic thing.</em> “Just don’t overdo it, man. You do want to actually <em>be </em>at this showcasing, yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll be fine, Reno. You’ll be there, so I can’t miss it!”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh huh.” The Turk was hardly convinced as he grabbed a plate from the cupboard, but knew Leto wasn’t a complete idiot and could fully take care of himself. He would just sometimes forget to.</p><p> </p><p>“I promise. So,” his brother said after a small pause, his tone a little too casual, “does this ‘good fuck’ of yours have a name?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno nearly dropped the omelette as he moved it off the pan and onto the plate. “Why does it matter?” he asked a bit defensively, cracking three more eggs into the bowl and whisking them.</p><p> </p><p>“Because it matters to <em>you</em>, right?” That smug smirk was back in Leto’s voice and Reno fought the urge to hang up on him. “In all seriousness, Reno, we’ve always looked out for each other, yeah? I can tell this is important to you, I don’t know why, but it is. If it’s important to you, then it is for me.” Leto’s tone held a level of comfort the Turk hadn’t heard him use in a long time; he usually reserved it for the really bad times they had on the street when they were kids. “You don’t have to tell me his name if you really don’t want to. I guess I was just hoping you’d wanna share something like that with me.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s emotional blackmail, man,” Reno accused, pouring the beaten eggs onto the freshly buttered skillet.</p><p> </p><p>The giggle Leto responded with was positively evil.</p><p> </p><p><em>He’s not gonna let this go, is he? Stubborn ass.</em> “Ugh, fine!” the Turk said with a long sigh of defeat. “His name’s Cloud.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cloud?” recognition sparking in his brother’s voice. “As in Cloud Strife? …<em>ooooh.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>‘Oh’</em> what?” Reno asked, opening the package of sliced peppers.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing!” Leto said a little too quickly and innocently. “You’ve told me about him before, I was just recalling what you said.”</p><p> </p><p>“...right.” The Turk tossed some chunks of pepper jack cheese onto the egg along with a nice handful of peppers. “Ya know, I can tell when you’re bullshitting me, Leto.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shit, is that the time?!” Leto exclaimed. “I’ve gotta run! Lot’s of planning and painting to do for the showcase!”</p><p> </p><p>Reno wasn’t buying it. “Leto-”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll see ya in two weeks, Reno! Say hi to Rude for me, ‘kay? Love ya!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” The call dropped and the redhead glared accusingly at his phone for a moment. “Little shit,” he whispered with a grin, setting the cell down and focusing again on making breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>Reno couldn’t ever be truly mad at his brother, just annoyed at how easily he picked up on the little things with him. Although, the Turk could do the same with Leto, so it probably evened out in the long run. <em>Despite me not wanting him to figure some things out.</em> Not easy to keep secrets from someone who knew you so well. He was also slightly disappointed he hadn’t gotten the chance to tease Leto about his crush on Rude, but hoped there would be ample opportunity at the showcase.</p><p> </p><p>He finished with his omelette and was just starting to stir the powdered pancake mix with milk when Cloud emerged from the bedroom, his hair damp but still defying gravity, a towel around his hips and confusion in his pretty blue eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are my clothes?” he asked, his voice having the barest hint of accusation in it.</p><p> </p><p>Reno turned away from the batter and openly admired the blond’s toned body for a moment. Cloud was one of the sexiest men Reno knew, his muscles not overly bulky, but just impressive enough to know there was strength there, with impossibly soft skin that his fingers itched to touch again. His eyes trailed across the blond’s pecs, Reno running the tip of his tongue across his top lip as he gazed at pretty pink nipples and down Cloud’s flat stomach to a golden trail of hair leading down to the towel wrapped tightly around his hips. How the redhead willed the fabric to fall away and let him stare at the blond fully nude. <em>Fuck eggs and ‘cakes, lemme have </em><strong><em><b>you </b></em></strong><em>for breakfast</em><em>, baby.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Reno!”</p><p> </p><p>The Turk blinked and gazed at Cloud’s pink-hued face.</p><p> </p><p>“My clothes?” the fighter repeated, his arms crossed and his eyes sharp with annoyance even as they fought not to give Reno’s body the same treatment. He was having trouble succeeding.</p><p> </p><p>Reno smirked and pointed at his washer. “In there, man.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud focused on the machine for a moment, a soft smile touching his lips. “Doing my laundry?” he asked quietly, gazing back at the redhead.</p><p> </p><p><em>Stop looking at me like that, Blondie!</em> Those pretty eyes kept staring at him with some kind of warm emotion that the Turk didn’t want to identify; it made his gut churn with uncertainty and he turned back to focus on the pancake mix. <em>Ever since I told him how good he was, he’s had that look in his eye. What’s the deal?</em></p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t think you’d wanna go around with a huge jizz-stain on your crotch and inseam,” he explained with a shrug, stirring the batter. “And even if you did, I would’ve wanted a picture of Tifa’s face with you coming home lookin’ like that.” The redhead grinned and threw a wink over his shoulder to the still blushing Cloud.</p><p> </p><p>“...good point,” Cloud conceded after a moment. The blond stood silently, shifting his weight uncomfortably, one hand gripping the towel as if he feared it would vanish.</p><p> </p><p>“Not that I mind ya standing around in nothin’ but a towel,” Reno voiced, taking pity on the fighter, “but I do have pj pants ya could use instead ‘til your clothes are done. Top left drawer of the dresser.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s smile was grateful as he nodded and retreated back into the bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead watched Cloud’s towel-covered tight ass as he walked away, lamenting not having more thought to grab at the muscles while they fucked.</p><p> </p><p>Placing that thought aside, and willing his groin to stand down, Reno looked down at the pancake batter. There wasn’t a whole lot there, maybe enough to make a single decent sized pancake or maybe two smaller ones. Inspiration hit him and he chuckled to himself as he poured out the batter into the skillet, knowing full well it was juvenile and not caring.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud exited the bedroom again a minute later, wearing one of the redhead’s favorite pair of pajama pants; an assortment of little foxes in different poses, running, sitting, sleeping and the like, against a light blue background. The fighter immediately went over to his discarded leather jacket and bent over to retrieve it and Reno almost let the pancake burn as he once again admired Cloud’s perfect butt as the pants hugged his hips in all the right ways.</p><p> </p><p>The Turk tried to focus on what he was doing, flinching a little when he flipped the pancake to find it a little too dark. He was never that great in the kitchen in the first place, but having a hot, half naked blond around him wasn’t helping. From the corner of his eye as he reached into another cupboard for his left over syrup, Reno noticed Cloud walk toward the far side of the kitchen, gazing guiltily at his phone. The blond sat in one of the two stools placed at the island counters and put the phone to his ear.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Tifa,” Cloud said after a few beats of silence. “Yeah… sorry I didn’t check in last night. I, uhm… got <em>distracted</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno felt those pretty eyes staring at him as he said it and couldn’t help but smirk, carefully taking the pancake off the pan and onto a plate.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I… ran into someone and….”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead’s smirk widened, grabbing Cloud’s omelette and turning to place it on the counter in front of him. The blush on Cloud’s cheeks was an adorable shade of pink.</p><p> </p><p>The fighter sighed, “Listen, I’ll tell you about it later, okay? I’m just getting some breakfast before heading back.” He nodded his thanks when Reno handed him a fork and knife. “I will, Tifa, I promise…. No, nothing’s wrong. I’m… being taken care of.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno paused in his task of retrieving silverware for himself. The way Cloud had said it made him a little uneasy, a barely there tenderness in his tone that hinted at something. He shook his head, deciding to ignore it; the blond was probably just trying to reassure one of his best friends that he was okay and safe. Nothing more.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It will never be more.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Burying the sudden, sharp pain, Reno grabbed his omelette and bottle of hot sauce, placing them on the counter space beside Cloud.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll <em>elaborate </em>when I get back,” the blond continued, the blush still on his cheeks as he glanced at the Turk. “I swear! Look, Tifa, my food’s getting cold, I’ll let you know when I’m heading out. Later.” He ended the call and huffed a short sigh.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s grin returned; Cloud looked like he had just gotten caught making out with the unapproved boyfriend. Pink was blooming on the tops of his ears and spreading down his face, golden brows pinched with slight irritation and his blue eyes shimmered with a little guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s that smirk for?” Cloud asked, cutting into his breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead shrugged. “You’re just cute, Blondie.” With a wink, he turned to grab the rest of the food.</p><p> </p><p>“...I am not cute,” was the mumbled, pout-filled response.</p><p> </p><p>Reno looked over his shoulder to find the blond glaring at him, but the harshness of it was lost due to the flush still on his face. “Sorry, man, it’s the rule. I don’t make ‘em.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s expression changed to confusion. “What are you talking about?”</p><p> </p><p>The Turk grabbed his phone with sudden inspiration and sent the blond a text. It was short, sweet and explained it all, Reno thought; THE RULE: Cloud Strife Is Cute. He sent it and a second later Cloud’s phone vibrated. The squinty-eyed glare Cloud shot him with after reading the text wasn’t helping the fighter’s case.</p><p> </p><p>“See, you can’t change it,” Reno said, showing the message couldn’t be altered. “It’s just a fact, yo.” He winked again and shoved his phone into his pants pocket and grabbed the pancake and syrup. Cloud continued to glare as he walked over, his eyes very much telling the redhead ‘This isn’t over.’ Reno merely smiled at the challenge.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s glare was broken when he saw the dick-and-balls shaped pancake the Turk set between them and he snorted a laugh. “Don’t know what I expected,” he muttered, trying to hide his mirth beneath his hand.</p><p> </p><p>The Turk ignored the warmth that spread in his chest at hearing Cloud’s laughter. “Coffee?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure,” the blond said with a nod.</p><p> </p><p>Reno got them both steaming mugs of the brew before sitting down to finally fill his empty tummy, which growled rather impatiently as he sat down. “Shut up, ya needy bastard,” he whispered to his stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, Reno saw the blond gazing at him with a soft smile. Before the Turk could call him on it, he shook his spiky, blond head and continued eating.</p><p> </p><p>Pouring a zig-zag pattern of hot sauce onto his omelette, the redhead dug in. They ate in relative silence, the soft hum of the washer and just loud enough dance music filling the air between them.</p><p> </p><p>It was oddly comforting, having someone to share a meal with like this. Reno didn’t really understand why, though, seeing as he ate with other people all the time. Maybe because he was home and not at work or a restaurant; the redhead didn’t entertain guests all that much.</p><p> </p><p><em>Or maybe it’s because it’s Cloud,</em> came an intrusive thought that sounded an awful lot like his brother. It made Reno glare at his food and he shoved the idea away, not ever wanting to entertain such things. Things were the way they were, no need to shake it up and cause further harm.</p><p> </p><p>He fought the urge to sigh and pushed all those annoying fantasies into the dark areas of his mind to be forgotten. <em>Just fucking eat.</em></p><p> </p><p>After a few minutes, Reno noticed the blond side-eyeing him. He could feel that gaze on him for several seconds, some tension building as it felt like Cloud was about to speak. It would end with a sigh and the fighter putting more food into his mouth instead. It happened several times, the blond staring, lips parting, then a small shake of his head and more egg, pancake or coffee brought to his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>When Cloud did it a fifth time, the redhead was just goddamn curious what the fuck he wanted to say and getting frustrated that Cloud kept not saying it. Putting his fork down, Reno looked over at the fighter’s handsome profile.</p><p> </p><p>“Got somethin’ you wanna say, Blondie?” he asked, noticing the tension in Cloud’s shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud shrugged stiffly, slowly finishing his bite. “Just… thinking,” he dodged and although his fork went back to his plate, he merely pushed around the last few morsels of his omelette.</p><p> </p><p>“About what?” Reno pressed, trying to keep his tone light. <em>Fucking tell me already!</em></p><p> </p><p>Several seconds passed with the blond’s silence. His blue eyes held conflict in them when they would lift away from his plate to Reno’s face and the redhead wondered what was making him hesitate.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the creeping impatience and curiosity, Reno waited quietly for Cloud to answer on his own time. <em>Sometime this year would be nice, though, Blondie.</em></p><p> </p><p>Cloud sighed through his nose. “Why did you join the Turks?”</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. <em>Wasn’t quite expecting that.</em> He turned his gaze away, never forgetting the day he’d been recruited. The redhead didn’t exactly see the incident itself a big deal, and normally he would brag about it, but Cloud didn’t know anything about his past. Explaining how he joined the ranks would just open the door to more questions and Reno wasn’t sure he wanted to explore those at the moment. They weren’t exactly easy years.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, why did you wanna join SOLDIER?” he asked in turn, hoping that a vague answer would suffice.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud gazed at the redhead quizzically, seeming to not understand what that had to do with it.</p><p> </p><p>“You wanted to protect people, right?” Reno elaborated with a shrug. “I had someone I needed to protect and the Turks helped me do that.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s expression became even more confused; Reno could read Cloud’s open blue eyes like a book. <em>Turks only protect ShinRa.</em> He watched the fighter struggle to understand and couldn’t blame Cloud for not finding his response satisfactory. To Cloud, the Turks were more like ShinRa attack dogs, blindly doing what their master President ordered them to without question. That wasn’t the whole truth, though.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud poked at his omelette as his brow knitted together and a spark of conflict flashed in his eyes. “Why do you stay with them?” The question was soft, a light blush bloomed on the blond’s cheek and Reno wondered if he hadn’t meant to voice it.</p><p> </p><p><em>…where are ya goin’ with this, Blondie?</em> “‘Cause I’m good at it, yo,” the redhead responded with a grin.</p><p> </p><p>The disapproving scowl Cloud shot at him made Reno frown. Those pretty eyes were almost begging him for something and the redhead didn’t really want to know what.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, Cloud, I get it,” Reno said after a few moments of that oppressive stare, turning in his seat to fully face the fighter. “The Turks are a group of amoral, underhanded sleazebags that bend the laws to their will. And we’re <em>necessary</em>.” He leaned forward slightly, not breaking contact with sceptical blue eyes. “The problem here is we live in a world with <em>people</em>; plenty of ‘em also amoral, underhanded sleazebags who have no problem breaking the law to get what they want. They lie, steal, kill and cheat their way through the law. <em>We </em>can beat them at their own game, yo. The concept of ‘justice’ can only go so far and is sometimes a mercy we can’t afford. Some people simply deserve a bullet. Our job may not always be pretty, Cloud, but it needs to be done.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond’s lips pressed together and he looked away in defeat, although he seemed unhappy about it and poked his food again.</p><p> </p><p>Reno sighed, feeling a little guilty. <em>Maybe I laid it on a bit thick.</em> “Look,” he tried again, lightening his tone, “I do get it, Cloud. A lot of awful shit happened. Trust isn’t won overnight. Hell, I doubt you’ll ever trust any of us… least of all me.” The redhead faltered, his gaze dropping at the sudden pain creeping into his chest. <em>Stop it!</em> he chastised himself, pushing it back into the pit of his stomach. <em>Not the time!</em></p><p> </p><p>The Turk took a deep breath through his nose, making sure his emotions were in check before looking up at Cloud again, the blond’s expression slightly concerned. <em>Ignore it!</em> “Maybe someday you’ll see that things have changed,” he finished with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud continued to stare for a long moment, having that same soul-reading gaze as the night before and Reno fought against the strong urge to squirm. It still made him uncomfortable and he tried to think of something to say, a subject to break the blond’s stare, but Reno felt like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. He was almost afraid to have a thought, worried that Cloud and his penetrating stare would be able to read it without trouble.</p><p> </p><p>A loud buzz broke the tension, making the redhead jump a little and glance at the washing machine. <em>Thank Shiva,</em> he thought with a heavy sigh. The fighter was still looking at him, but he seemed more contemplative than a moment ago and Reno decided he’d gladly take it.</p><p> </p><p>“Finish you’re breakfast,” he encouraged with a nod toward Cloud’s almost clean plate and rose from his seat to approach the washer and dryer.</p><p> </p><p>As he began transferring Cloud’s clothes to the dryer, the blond spoke.</p><p> </p><p>“Was Sector Seven a ‘mercy’ you couldn’t afford?”</p><p>**</p><p>Reno felt his blood turn to ice, his whole body tensing as he halted his movements with the fighter’s jeans in his hands. It slowly began to escalate, his heart thundering within his ribcage with what felt like bruising force and his lungs strained for more oxygen. <em>Fuck!</em></p><p> </p><p>He did his best to play it off, to keep going through it, breathing in through his nose as he finished putting Cloud’s clothing into the dryer and turned it on. “I guess it wasn’t.” The redhead muttered the words through dry lips, his body beginning to tremble as the attack continued to intensify. He braced his right hand on the cool metal of the washing machine, bringing his left up to press against his brow.</p><p> </p><p>Those blue eyes were on him again and he struggled to keep his breathing controlled, his right hand balling into a fist. Reno thought he could beat it and he <em>tried</em>, counting in his head and reminding himself it would pass.</p><p> </p><p>That’s when the screaming started. It was gradual, sharp ringing sounds against his eardrums that became louder and very distinctive. Desperate yells and cries for help and terror as the literal sky fell upon them. <em>Dammit….</em> Reno’s eyes began to burn, his vision blurring and his breathing faltered.</p><p> </p><p>“Reno?” The voice was familiar, but sounded far away, easily drowned out by the shrieking in his ears.</p><p> </p><p><em>Move!</em> some part of his mind yelled suddenly, barely cutting through the voices and the redhead stumbled slightly as he obeyed. His lips parted, possibly saying something about the bathroom, but if any words actually escaped his throat, he didn’t hear them.</p><p> </p><p>Reno dashed to the bathroom, immediately closing and locking the door behind him, and staggered to the sink. Hot liquid trails ran down his cheeks as he braced himself against the counter and tried again to control his breathing even as his body fell further into panic.</p><p> </p><p><em>Don’t look in the mirror!</em> the redhead ordered as he inhaled deeply through his nose, doing his best to ignore the sudden feeling of something being on his hands.<em> It’s not real!</em> He stared down at the sink, swallowing against the nausea tossing his stomach.</p><p> </p><p>The screaming reached its peak, Reno flinching at the memory that tried to fully form in his mind of seeing it; watching the plate fall, hearing the shrieks of terror, and feeling revolted at himself. <em>They didn’t stop me.</em></p><p> </p><p>He blinked, more unwanted tears falling down his face as the redhead slowly raised his eyes to gaze at himself in the mirror. His face was pale, chest heaving, sweat dotting his brow and his usually bright sea-green eyes were dark with dilated pupils and filled with misery. <em>You deserve this.</em></p><p> </p><p>Reno’s breath caught as the scene behind him was suddenly the ravaged ruins of Sector Seven. Blood slowly oozed from between broken panels, fallen pillars and squashed buildings. The red liquid pooled in several different places and figures slowly began to rise out of them, straight out of a horror movie. <em>I made this.</em> They stared at him with their empty eye sockets and half-dislocated jaws, their bodies crushed, bloody and disfigured. As one, their mouths opened further than a normal person, a horrible high-pitched wail erupting from them, a single word ringing in the redhead’s ears.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em> <b>“WHY?!”</b> </em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Reno whipped around to find his bathroom as it normally was, the image in the mirror shattered. His breath caught as his heart still beat thunderously in his chest, his limbs shaking with the effort to keep himself standing, and he slowly sank to the floor. <em>My fault.</em></p><p> </p><p>The tile was cool against his palms as he splayed his hands on the floor. He focused on it as the ringing slowly faded from his ears. <em>In, 2, 3, 4, 5,</em> he whispered in his head, inhaling through his nose. <em>Out, 2, 3, 4, 5,</em> breathing out his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>This will pass. It always has.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It became easier as the minutes ticked by; his heart slowly calmed, which in turn eased his breathing, and his tense muscles finally started to relax.</p><p> </p><p>Everything hurt, like Reno had just gotten the shit kicked out of him. He remained on the floor for several more minutes, waiting for the tremors to fade and his stomach to ease. When he finally stood, his legs barely held him up as he faced the sink again, bracing his hands against the counter and hesitantly gazing at the mirror.</p><p> </p><p>A stuttering, relieved sigh left him at seeing his normal bathroom reflected in its surface. <em>It’s over.</em> The redhead looked at his hands, still feeling like they were covered, and he grimaced at himself. <em>It’s not real, dammit!</em> He knew the feeling was a product of his mind, but he still reached out to the taps on the sink and proceeded to wash off the blood that was never there.</p><p>**</p><p>Once he finally got his hands ‘clean,’ he soaked a washcloth with cool water and rinsed off his face. It was somewhat soothing and brought back a little color to his pallid cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Reno heaved an exhausted sigh when he was done. It had been quite some time since he’d had an episode with such intensity. <em>Of course Blondie would ask about </em><strong><em><b>that</b></em></strong><em>.</em> He scowled at his reflection, almost forgetting he had a guest. <em>Guess going through that is no less than I deserve,</em> he decided.</p><p> </p><p>Shaking his head, Reno pushed it aside; it was over and he had someone waiting in his kitchen. <em>If Blondie didn’t take the opportunity to bolt.</em> He smirked at the amusing image of Cloud hauling ass out of his apartment in still damp clothing.</p><p> </p><p>The shaking in his legs lessened the more steps he took and Reno left the bathroom, surprised to find Cloud sitting on the bed with a fairly severe worried expression on his handsome face. He wrung his hands together nervously, somewhat dazed as it took him a moment to register the redhead had emerged.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud stood, his eyes looking over Reno’s body with concern. “Are you alright, Reno? You… didn’t look well.”</p><p> </p><p>Reno ignored the extremely comforting warmth he felt at seeing the blond’s genuine care for his well-being. “I… got a little sick to my stomach, yo. Must’ve eaten too fast.” At least it wasn’t a total lie.</p><p> </p><p>The frown on the blond’s soft lips told Reno he wasn’t convinced. “You were in there for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>The redhead shrugged. “Took a while to for the feeling to pass. I’m okay, Blondie.” He attempted a gentle smile, but Cloud’s frown deepened as he again searched Reno’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Reno had neither the emotional nor physical strength to put up a front against the fighter’s pretty, penetrating blue gaze and opted out, turning to leave the bedroom. <em>Leave it be, Cloud.</em> That stare followed him out of the room as the Turk returned to the kitchen, taking note that the dryer had just over twenty minutes left on it’s forty-ish minute cycle. He frowned a little; he <em>was </em>locked in the bathroom for a while. <em>Probably why he was worried more than anything else.</em></p><p> </p><p>The redhead looked at his leftover omelette and his stomach churned warningly. <em>So much for breakfast.</em> He grabbed his plate and dumped the rest into the trash, placing the plate onto the counter next to the sink. As he was about call out to the fighter if he’d finished eating, Cloud appeared from the bedroom and snatched up his dishes, bringing them to the sink.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll wash the dishes,” he announced.</p><p> </p><p>Reno was about to protest, the blond was his guest after all, but those blue eyes locked with his and the redhead noticed the heavy veil of guilt shimmering in his gaze and quickly decided he wouldn’t be able to talk the fighter out of it. The redhead held back a sigh, <em>What do ya feel bad about?</em> “If ya wanna,” he said with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud got to work filling the sink with soapy water while Reno put the remaining dirty dishes on the counter with the others. He then put the leftover ingredients away and grabbed a chilled bottle of water from the fridge. Reno sipped the cool liquid, eyes gazing at the blond as he diligently did his task. Why did it bother him that Cloud was troubled about this? Surely the fighter believed Reno should not receive any mercy for what was ultimately his responsibility, right?</p><p> </p><p>The redhead tried not to think too hard on it, not wanting to fall into another episode, and found just staring wasn’t going to answer his questions. Putting down his water bottle, he stepped to stand beside the blond and grabbed a small drying towel hanging from one of the cupboard handles and began drying what Cloud finished washing.</p><p> </p><p>After only a couple minutes of calm silence between them, Reno could feel those eyes glancing at him, the same tension from earlier returning as the blond kept chickening out on talking.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re doing it again,” the Turk commented as he put away the clean plates.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud paused his hands and gazed at the redhead for a moment. “Doing what?” he asked innocently, rinsing off the silverware.</p><p> </p><p>“Talking yourself outta saying something.” Reno took the utensils and began drying them, giving the fighter an expectant look. “What do ya wanna say, Blondie?”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud frowned slightly, his cheeks getting just the lightest pink hue as he gazed at the redhead with a somewhat strained expression. Blue eyes kept darting away, lips parting on a word, only to press together in annoyance for a long moment. The redhead again waited patiently, trying not to smile in amusement at the fighter’s obvious struggle.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud’s gaze was filled with sincerity as he again locked onto Reno and a single, soft word tumbled from his lips. “Sorry.” The Turk could only stare initially, a bit shocked at the sudden apology. Cloud scowled a bit a second later and returned his attention to washing the pan within the sink, the blush spreading on his face. Reno got the feeling he was more frustrated with what he said than the redhead’s reaction, like it wasn’t enough.</p><p> </p><p>This time Reno couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips. <em>So fucking cute.</em> “Don’t worry about it,” he whispered as he took the wet pan from the blond.</p><p> </p><p>“But…” Cloud’s eyes still shimmered with some guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not your burden to bear,” Reno stated as he dried the skillet, gaze serious as he glanced at the fighter. “So <em>don’t</em>, Cloud.” His smile was sad as he added, “You’ve gone through enough shit; no need for ya to jump into mine.”</p><p> </p><p>Cloud was not satisfied with that answer, if the frustrated glare he was pointing at the redhead was any indication.</p><p> </p><p><em>That’s the way things are, Blondie,</em> he thought as he put the pan away. <em>No less than I deserve, anyhow.</em> It would forever be his alone to deal with, a fact Reno had accepted years ago. Not that he figured anyone wanted to help him. Suffering was his price to pay, wasn’t it?</p><p> </p><p>The dryer buzzed loudly and the redhead handed a fresh dish towel to Cloud to dry his hands with as he walked by. He removed the warm clothing from the machine, folding the pants and sweater before making a fairly neat pile of the fighter’s clothes. Reno grabbed the garments and turned to find the blond barely a foot away, his blue eyes piercing.</p><p> </p><p><em>Why ya gotta look at me like that, baby?</em> “Here ya go,” he said, offering the pile.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud took his clothes slowly, his gaze boring into the redhead, as if silently telling him that the conversation they just had wasn’t over. There was more in those eyes, but Reno chose to ignore it, holding the blond’s gaze with what he hoped was a neutral expression. Definitely not an easy feat, with how exhausted he felt and the willpower to keep his defenses up stretched extremely thin.</p><p> </p><p>When Cloud finally turned and disappeared into the bedroom, the Turk released a long, tired sigh. <em>What the </em><strong><em><b>fuck </b></em></strong><em>are you doing to me, Blondie?</em> He had been trained to withstand torture, was something he excelled at in fact, both mental and physical, but somehow Cloud Strife pulled all his defenses taught and had a natural way of making Reno let his protective walls crumble.</p><p> </p><p><em>Had to be the sex,</em> he reasoned again, reaching for his bottle of water and taking a long swig. <em>Blondie fucked me good, maybe </em><strong><em><b>too </b></em></strong><em>good.</em> For the first time, Reno began to wonder if pursuing a sexual relationship with the fighter was in his best interests. He weighed the pros and cons in his head and sipped his water.</p><p> </p><p>Pro, amazing sex; con, Cloud liked to ask questions that got under Reno’s skin; pro, amazing sex; con, Cloud has a nasty history with Reno’s bosses and that might cause very unhappy friction in the future; pro, amazing sex; con, Cloud would come to his senses at some point and call it off; pro, <em>amazing fucking sex</em>.</p><p> </p><p><em>…fuck me, I guess,</em> he thought will a roll of his eyes, even as he grinned.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud emerged from the bedroom a moment later, once again fully dressed, and grabbed his belongings. “Do you need to escort me out?” he asked as he slid his leather coat on.</p><p> </p><p>“Nah,” the redhead responded and followed him to the apartment door. “They’ll let ya out, just follow the arrows through the garage.”</p><p> </p><p>The fighter nodded as he double checked he had everything. Unlocking the deadbolt with a quick flick of his wrist, Cloud opened the door and hesitated as he began stepping into the hall. He turned his head to give the Turk an uncertain gaze.</p><p> </p><p>Reno raised a curious eyebrow, silently asking if there was a problem.</p><p> </p><p>“...fuck it,” Cloud muttered and reached out to wrap his left arm around the redhead’s waist, pulling Reno against his body and pressing their mouths together in a heated kiss.</p><p> </p><p>The Turk chuckled in surprised delight against Cloud’s super soft lips, his arms encircling the blond’s neck as Cloud’s tongue plunged into his mouth. A moan rumbled quietly in his throat, thoroughly enjoying how Cloud dominated the kiss.</p><p> </p><p>It left Reno slightly breathless when the blond eventually pulled his mouth away. He smiled at Cloud’s flushed face and conflicted, lust-filling blue eyes. “I’m starting to really like these instincts of yours, baby,” he whispered, loving how the fighter’s breath caught and pupils dilated at the pet name. “Maybe we can explore those further sometime.” Reno leaned in to give Cloud a few tamer kisses. He could feel the blond fighting to hold back and, as much as the redhead wouldn’t have minded pulling Cloud inside for one more go, Reno felt he’d reached his limit and wasn’t sure what another great fuck from the fighter would do to him right now.</p><p> </p><p>Reluctantly, Reno removed his lips from Cloud’s and released his neck to gently press on strong shoulders. “Drive safe, Blondie.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond swallowed and nodded, taking a few extra seconds to let go of Reno, his gaze hesitant. “Uh… thanks,” he mumbled awkwardly, finally stepping through the partially opened door.</p><p> </p><p>Cloud stopped again, but this time Reno quickly realized it was because someone was in the hall.</p><p> </p><p>“Elena,” the blond greeted hastily before darting away.</p><p> </p><p>The redhead smirked and followed Cloud over the threshold to watch him all but sprint down the hallway, his ears bright red.</p><p> </p><p>Elena lived in the apartment across the hall and stared after the blond with slightly wide, brown eyes. Her yellow-blonde hair was disheveled and she stood in her pjs, looking every bit like she just crawled out of bed; her apartment door was ajar and a small stack of mail was in her right hand.</p><p> </p><p>Once Cloud had rounded the corner to reach the elevator, Elena’s gaze turned toward her neighbor, lips twitching as she fought a grin. “So, how was <em>your </em>night?” she asked.</p><p> </p><p>Reno’s smile was wide. “Fan-fucking-tasic, yo! Lookit this shit!” He pulled down the waistband of his pajama pants to expose a hand-shape-bruised hip, more than happy to show off his marks of honor.</p><p> </p><p>Elena’s jaw dropped before she started laughing. “<em>Cloud </em>did that?! You must’ve really pushed his buttons!”</p><p> </p><p>“In all the right ways,” Reno said smugly, pulling the waistband back up. His gaze lingered down the hall for a moment, wondering when he’d get another chance at seducing Cloud Strife.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! Please, if you enjoyed this piece, I highly encourage leaving a comment! This was definitely a labor of love and took nearly two and a half weeks to finish. I'm super proud of it and would love to hear your thoughts as well!</p><p>Also, if your looking for more Fan-fucking-tastic times with Reno, I highly suggest Xenobia's Alliance Universe series! (Fan-fucking-tastic is such a good Reno line.)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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